A New Ride Begins
by Danielle Christine
Summary: This bed is as hard as concrete, but it's all I could afford. The tank's almost on E, and there's another 40 miles til' I reach Charming, California. My mind's spinning, always turning with questions about who I am and where I came from... ((A Story about a son going home. From Thomas Tellers POV. 17 years after the final episode)
1. Chapter 1

This bed is as hard as concrete, but it's all I could afford. The tank's almost on E, and there's another 40 miles til' I reach Charming, California. My mind's spinning, always turning with questions about who I am and where I came from. I know bits and pieces, part of the story that I had thrown together from newspaper clippings and premium detective work. My parents were always vague about their time there. I started asking questions young and I was always met with the same dower faces, the same sad eyes. Even with my brother, who seemed to know something, but would never say anything.

I was five years old when my dad, Nero, picked me up from school. I was standing with a classmate and the kid turned to me and said with surprise in his voice, "Is that you're Dad?"

Of course it was my Dad, who else would it be? No one had ever told me any different. I looked at him, confused, and nodded in response.

"Oh," the kid continued. "You just don't look nothing like him."

I looked up at Nero as he walked toward me. It was the first time, I think, that I really looked at him. His dark complexion, salt and pepper hair bore no resemblance to my milky white skin, blonde hair and blue eyes. He walked up to us and put his hand on my shoulder, looking down at me and smiling. We walked back to the car and he buckled me in the backseat. Abel was already sitting in the front seat, waiting for us to return.

Nero started the car and pulled off, looking back at me through the mirror like he usually did.

"What's on your mind, Niño?," he asked, his forehead crinkling in concern. "Looks like you're thinking on something real hard." I wasn't sure I should say anything. I looked at my brother through the side mirror. He didn't look like Nero, either. But he at least looked a little like our Mother, Wendy.

"Are you my Dad?," I asked timidly, my eyes focused on the hands in my lap. I could hear his deep intake of breath. He seemed to think for a minute, probably looking for the appropriate words to say. Abel broke in and filled the silence.

"No," he said softly. "He's not our Dad. And Mom is _not_ your Mom," he said in the snotty way that older brothers talk to their younger ones. I could feel the tears well up in my eyes. Nero jerked the car to the side of the road, glaring at Abel angrily before looking back at me.

"Do I love you like a Papa, Tommy?," he asked in the gentle way he has. I nodded.

"Do we do fun things together, like go fishing and see movies?" I nodded again.

"Do you love me like a Papa?," he asked. I nodded again.

"And your mom. Does she treat you nice? Tuck you in bed at night and give you lots of hugs and kisses like a mama should?" She did. They did. There was no denying that. Wendy and Nero Padilla loved me.

"Then we're your parents. No DNA would ever make that more true. Understand, miho?," he asked gently. I smiled softly through my tears and sucked them back. I understood, but I still didn't understand. If they weren't my _real_ parents then who was?

Later that night after they had tucked me in bed, I snuck my way down the hall. I heard them say my name, and I couldn't help but listen in.

"Well do you think we should tell him?," Wendy asked as she sat on the couch, her legs tucked underneath her. Nero shrugged.

"I don't know, ma," he said as he ran a hand over his face. "Jackson told me that when the time came, he wanted the boys to know everything, all of it. He wanted you to paint him like a monster, and I guess in a sense he was. Especially in the end. But I loved him," he said softly. "I loved him like a son, and I don't want those boys growing up thinking their father was anything other then a good man."

"He didn't want that life for them. He didn't want them to know anything about any of it so that they could create their own futures. We let it go for now, I think. We wait." Nero nodded and that was the last of it. For awhile.

But that was the day I learned his name, the first time I had ever heard it spoken aloud, and that was why I remember it so clearly. Jackson. I saw the emotion in their eyes when they spoke of him. I was only five, but I was far from unnoticing, and it just made me all the more curious. I would spend the next 13 years putting together the pieces of the puzzle; a puzzle my "parents" never wanted me to solve. And it led me here:

To this hard bed, in a cheap motel with annoying as shit Christmas lights flickering through the holes in the curtains. Twenty three dollars in my pocket, my bike on E and 40 miles to go.

I know who you are now and what you did. I love you, Dad. And I'm coming home.

**A/N:**

**I wanted to be among the first to start a post series finale fic. I figured a lot of people will probably keep Jax alive, and others will probably write from Abels POV. But we can't forget poor orphan Thomas, who has lost every blood relative that he has.. Of course he's going to want to figure out where he came from. I haven't written any SOA fics, this is my first. And I have big plans if I can generate enough interest. So please, REVIEW! Let me know if you're interested. Thanks for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I am blown away by the response I got for the first chapter of this story. I've written a few fanfic stories for this site, and I have never gotten 18 reviews for one chapter. And the follows and favorites are AH-Mazing, ya'll! I was gonna let this sit for a minute, get my thoughts together, but I was so enamored with the results of chapter 1, I just couldn't wait! So, here's Chapter 2. Please review, follow, recommend to your friends. Make this my #1 story! ;) Thanks for reading guys. I appreciate you! ;)

XXXXXXXXXXXX

My phone was buzzing. Amazing really, since I thought it was dead and in my rush to get the hell away from hick town, I didn't think to pack a charger. I stretched out across the hard bed, hearing bones crack that I didn't even know I had. I grabbed the phone off of the side table and rolled my eyes at the name that flashed on the screen. Part of me wanted to just ignore it, just like I ignored every call from Nero and Wendy the day before. But the other, more stubborn, part of me wanted to hear what he had to say.

"Yeah?," I answered groggily.

"Tommy? Where the hell are you?," my brother Abel screamed into the phone.

"Aw, Abel. Didn't think you cared," I answered sarcastically.

"I don't," he responded. "But Mom and Dad are freaking the fuck out. Mom said she woke up yesterday morning and you were just gone. Dad's called all your friends and no one knows anything. You wouldn't answer your phone. Are you insane, man?," he asked angrily. "After everything they've done for you, you're just gonna bail on them with no explanation?"

"Why don't you just go back to your Ivy League school and mind your own fucking business, brotha?," I responded, his accusatory tone setting my blood to boil.

"You went to Charming, didn't you?," he asked, ignoring my outburst. "You've got to be kidding me. You went to Charming and you're gonna get yourself all wrapped up in whatever the hell Jax died trying to get us away from."

"Shut your mouth," I whispered lowly. "You don't know anything about any of it."

"I know everything. I remember everything, idiot." I could hear his deep intake of breath, and I knew he was trying to calm himself down. I could picture him, squeezing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, trying to find the words that would bring me back home to our little one horse town in the middle of fucking no where.

"Listen, Tommy," he said softly. "I know that you want to know where you come from. I get it. But there's nothing in Charming, California besides ghosts and trouble." I didn't say anything, just sat in silence, holding the phone to my ear. "Remember when we were kids and you made me a promise? Remember what you promised me, Tommy?" I did. I remembered. But damned if I'd admit that by going to Charming, I was also going back on a promise.

"I gotta go, Abel. My phone's gonna die and I didn't bring a charger. Tell Mom and Dad I'm fine," I said quickly before hanging up the phone and dropping it on the bed next to me.

Just who the hell did Abel think he was? Did he really think he could convince me to just give up everything I'd been working toward because _they_ thought that the past was best left in the past? Because of a stupid promise I made to my brother when I was ten years old?

XXXX

Flashback. 8 years earlier.

Abel and I had just gotten home from school. He seemed to be having a particularly hard day and stormed into his room before I even had the chance to bug him. Wendy gave me a couple cookies and a glass of milk as I did my homework at the kitchen table.

"Dad wants you to go help him muck the cow pens when you've finished your homework," she said as she finished up the dishes in the sink. "Your brother, too." I nodded and got to work on my math sheet.

Fifteen minutes later, I walked toward Abels room, ready to grab him so that we could finish our chores and be back inside in time for dinner. The door was open just slightly, and I couldn't help my nosiness as I peeked inside unseen. Abel lay back against his head board, twirling something shiny in his fingers. I pushed the door open and watched as Abel shoved whatever it was behind his pillow.

"What was that?," I asked as I walked toward the bed.

"Nothing," he answered, far too quickly. I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms over my chest.

"You can tell me, or I can go get Mom and you can tell her. Your choice," I said, knowing I had won. Abel rolled his eyes and pulled out a shiny silver ring, with the word "SON" carved into it in bold letters.

"Cool," I responded as I jumped on his bed to get a closer look. "Where'd you get that from?," I asked.

"None of your business."

"MOM!," I called. Abel reached out and covered my mouth with his hand.

"Fine, you little shit. Fine. I got it from our Grandmother. A long time ago."

"Jax's mom?," I asked, my interest even more piqued, if that was possible.

"Yes. After she… Before she died, she brought it to me at school and slipped it to me through the gate."

"And you held on to it? All this time? With no one knowing?" Abel nodded.

"Until now," he responded. I reached out for the ring and Abel pulled it back. I wanted to touch something that my real Dad might've touched. I wanted to feel close to him and to the family I had lost. His quick reaction angered me.

"Fine," I said pouting. "I don't need to touch it. I'm going to go back to where we came from one day, and I'll see it all for myself." Abels eyes widened, and he tossed the ring at me. I caught it and ran my fingers over the letters.

"You can have it, Tommy," he said quickly. "Under one condition." I looked up at my big brother, eyes wide, thrilled to be holding a piece of something that once belonged to a family that at that time, I knew virtually nothing about.

"Anything…," I whispered, still in awe.

"You have to promise me that no matter what happens, you won't go back."

"But Abel…"

"Promise me, Tommy!," he demanded, a horrified look in his eyes.

"Fine. Fine, I promise." Abel nodded and stood up.

"C'mon," he said, his eyes sad. "Dad's gonna be wondering where we are." I nodded, slipping the ring in my pocket, and vowed to hide it better then Abel had.

Xxxxxxxx

Present time:

It was easy for them, I guess, to pretend Jackson Teller never existed. That the Sons of Anarchy MC was just a figment of their fucked up imaginations. But it was more then that for me. Didn't I deserve to know who I was? Who my parent's were?

Jax and Tara Teller were my parents, and aside from what I've read and discovered on my own, and the little bits that Nero and Wendy would offer up, I knew almost nothing about who they were.

In turn, I know nothing about who I am. I'm an outlaws son, a doctors son. And from what I read in old newspapers at the town library, I was, apparently, a murderers son. That I knew. But that was all, and it had never been enough.

I pulled the ring from my pocket and slipped it on my pointer finger, inspecting it as I have every single day since I was ten years old.

I threw my legs over the side of the bed and lit a cigarette before sauntering off toward the bathroom. My back hurt from the bed and my head hurt from my brother. It was a little after 10 am, and my stomach was already growling. I had barely eaten anything the day before. Spent the whole day riding down here, stopping only to piss and smoke without the ash blowing back in my face.

With only those 40 miles to go, I was getting impatient. In a little over an hour, I would be crossing the border into Charming, and I was ready for everything that came along with it.

**TBC. Review! ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

I smiled when I passed the small sign that said, "You're now leaving Lodi." I almost laughed out loud when I saw the sign right behind that. "Welcome to Charming". I pulled over to the side of the road and hopped off my bike, setting it on its kickstand and hopping over the metal railing. "Our Name Says it All," was written in small print under the welcome. I pulled my pack of cigarettes out of my pocket and flipped the lid, grabbing a smoke and holding it between my teeth while I searched for my lighter.

I heard the sound of bikes behind me and turned, watching a group of bikers eyeball me as they drove passed, their leather vests sporting the tag "Mayan". I stood my ground, staring right back as I lit my cigarette and leaned against the welcome sign. I looked over at my own bike, once they passed, and remembered the day I brought it home.

Xxxxxxx

"Thomas Padilla! What did you do?," Wendy asked me as I drove up to our farm house, one day after my 16th birthday, on a used Harley that I had just bought from a friends Dad. I had worked my ass off every day after school, every weekend since I was 14 years old, saving up enough money to buy myself a motorcycle. There was always just something appealing about two wheels, the wind in my hair and nothing but road behind me. My mother, on the other hand, looked like I had just committed the ultimate sin.

"Mom, I told you I was saving up for a ride," I said as I climbed off the bike and slowly removed my helmet. She stood glaring at me, her hands on her hips, her bright red painted mouth puckered in a disapproving scowl.

"And by _ride_ I obviously thought you meant a car. That things a death trap. You're bringing it back." I laughed.

"You'd think with _your_ history, the idea of a motorcycle wouldn't seem so…I dunno… Scandalous," I said sarcastically, a satisfied smile on my face, trying to walk passed her into the house. She reached out and grabbed my arm.

"What in the hell is that supposed to mean?," she said, pulling me back around toward her. I shook my head, feeling guilty at the hurt I saw in her eyes. I sighed deeply and put my hands on her shoulders.

"Nothing, Ma. It means nothing. Look, I wanted the bike okay? I worked hard for it." I gave her my most innocent, charming smile, a smile she had told me once in a moment of weakness reminded her of my real father, Jax. "Don't you always say that when you work hard enough for something that you always get what you deserve in the end?," I asked, tilting my head to my side and looking down at her. She sighed.

"I'm gonna have to talk to your Dad about this." I nodded, knowing that he'd relent eventually, too.

Later on that night, I sat listening in on their conversation through the vent in Abels room. He was at his first year of college and only came home on holidays and weekends. Believe it or not, I got a lot information this way.

"Seeing him ride up on that bike, Nero. It was like being transported back in time. He already looks so much like Jax. It seriously scared the shit out of me. Like seeing a ghost"

"He worked hard for it, Ma," Nero said, his voice soft and comforting as was his usual style.

"It's not just the bike. I know he worked hard for the _bike_, and so he should have the stupid, fucking _bike_," she said, the word bike, sounding dirtier each time she spoke it. "It's just… Everything about him screams, 'I'm Jackson Tellers Son!". The way he walks, the way he sits forward and rests his elbows on his knees and clutches his hands together when he's deep in thought. His poetic soul. I'm so scared that no matter what we do, he's going to find his way back to Charming, and everything Jax did to save him will have been for nothing," she said, her voice getting thicker with emotion after each sentence.

I couldn't see them through the vent, obviously, but this would've been about the time that Nero wrapped her up in his arms, because I could hear his soft comforting as Wendy sobbed quietly.

I felt bad. Obviously, I felt bad. I never liked to see or hear my mom cry. Who does? But I was also incredibly happy. That was the first time I had heard his full name, Jackson Teller, and the first time I had heard them say where we came from. That night, after I snuck back into my own room, I learned everything the internet would tell me about Charming, California, Jackson Teller and the mystery that was SAMCRO.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

I threw the cigarette down next to the sign and walked back toward my bike. After a 10 minute ride through residential areas, the town cemetery loomed before me. A cool chill ran through my body, and I knew exactly where my first stop should be. Before I did anything else, I had to stop in and finally meet my parents.

_**TBC. **_

_**Authors Note:. Don't forget to review! I'm addicted to them. ;)**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Quick disclaimer, seeing as I've failed to mention earlier: I, obviously, do not own SOA or the characters associated with the show. Just a fan.**_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXX_

I'm sure it was purely my imagination, but the air stood still as soon as my bike passed through the wrought iron gates. The trees stopped swaying, the birds stopped chirping. I had no idea where to look, so I just pulled my bike into the small parking area in front of the main building and shut it off. I set my helmet on the handlebars as I climbed off the back. My hands were a little bit shaky, so I shoved them in the pockets of my leather jacket, even though it had to have been at least 80 degrees.

I headed to main building, but of course they were closed. Why could anything just be easy, ya know? But it didn't matter. I'd search the entire cemetery if that's what it took. I was practically in the center of the cemetery, so I looked around me wondering where to start.

I noticed a collection of flags sticking out of the ground near tombstones in the furthest corner in the back. I figured I'd just start there and just see where it led me. I checked tombstones as I passed them, hoping to catch a lucky break.

It wasn't until I reached those flags, however, in between two large trees, across from each other on either side, that the air loosened up and the flags began to dance in the breeze. It started with one name: Tara

Tara Grace Knowles

Beloved Wife and Mother

June 21, 1980- January 12, 2013

And then, next to it:

Jackson Nathaniel Teller

Beloved Father, Husband and Friend

October 4,1978- December 9, 2014

Normally, I wouldn't admit to showing a kink in my cool, but I'll be damned if I didn't get weak in the knees at the sight. I backed up against the tree behind me and slid down its trunk, somehow positioning myself in between the two of them. I pulled my knees up and rested my arms over the top, looking back and forth between the side by side plots that my parents had been laid to rest in all those years before.

In it's usual fashion, my thoughts created a tornado of all the things I wanted to say to them. I wanted to tell them what I knew, and what I had hoped to find by coming here. I wanted to tell my dad about the first time I wrecked my bike, the first time I got to third base with a girl, and how sick I got the first time I drank a beer. I wanted to tell my mom about the first A I'd gotten in English, the first time I fell in love, and the first time I had my heart broken.

But instead, I lit a cigarette and sat against the tree, sharing with them a comfortable silence. Just _being_ there and remembering all those things about growing up that they didn't get to share with me, made me feel as if finally they could be a part of it.

Xxxx

"Hey yo!," I heard sometime later, shaking me from the little nap I allowed myself to indulge in while visiting my parents. I opened my eyes slowly, surprised to see that the sun was setting already. I stretched my legs out, before climbing to my feet and looking toward the source of the noise.

"You alive over there, kid?," the feminine voice called out again. She was a good 20 feet away from me, standing between another identical set of stones.

" M' fine," I responded, my guard up for no apparent reason. I was originally hoping that she'd just go away, leave me to whatever the hell it was that I was doing. Instead, she looked behind her briefly and started to walk toward me. I sighed deeply and stuffed my hands in my pockets.

"I'm kind of surprised to see someone else visiting Sons corner," she said when she got close enough. She was just slightly shorter then me, with long brown hair that waved down her skin tight Harley-Davidson tank top. She was cute, but definitely older then me, mid to late twenties if I had to guess. But her eyes were ageless, a deep cerulean blue. "These days, people usually only come on holidays and birthdays."

"Sons corner?," I asked, wondering what she meant. I was pretty sure the gate read Charming Memorial Cemetery.

"You know…," she said shrugging slightly. "The place all sons go to rest?" I raised an eyebrow at her, more confused then ever.

"Everyone in this corner of the cemetery is SAMCRO affiliated, whether it's a member, an old lady or in some sad cases, a child. How can you even visit someone out here and not _know_ that?," she asked. I shrugged, kind of pissed at her condescending tone. "Who are you out here sleeping with anyway?," she asked, finally turning to look at the graves. "Jax and Tara?," she asked me with wide eyes. I didn't answer.

"Holy shit, I knew you looked familiar. You look just like Jax. I didn't know him real well, he died when I was still just a kid, but I remember he was always real nice to me and especially to my step mom." Damn, this girl could talk.

"So which one are you? Abel or Thomas? There was always talk amongst us club kids that it would be Abel who came back to follow in Jax's footsteps." I shoved my hands in my pockets. It was weird to know people were talking about me that I didn't even know existed. "So?," she asked when the two second silence was too much for her.

"Thomas," I said shortly, still trying to decide if I found her annoying or alluring.

"Well hot damn," she said extending her hand. "Nice to meet you, Thomas Teller. I'm Ellie Winston. Our dads were best friends growing up." I shook her hand hesitantly. "So what's your plan, Tommy? You coming out here to try to patch in or…what?," she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and seeming to take in every inch of me.

"I just want answers," I said honestly, not knowing what else to say.

"Don't we all?," she said softly as she peered back toward the graves she had just visited. "Those are my parents over there," she said with a nod. "I've lived in Charming my whole life and I still don't know everything I'd like to know."

I heard some screaming from the parking lot and turned my eyes, seeing a guy standing next to a bike and waving his hands toward us. Ellie held up a hand, acknowledging him. "I better go," she said with a small, sad smile. "Don't want to piss of my old man. I hope you find what you're looking for Thomas Teller," she said before heading back to where her guy waited for her.

As I watched her walk away, I realized something critical. I just missed an opportune situation to discover my next step. I needed to find Club HQ and talk to the people who my parents knew best. It seemed to me that she would know exactly where I needed to go. So I quickly turned toward my parents graves and muttered a quick "See you soon," before following Ellie toward the parking lot.

Xxxxxxxxxx

"So much for it only taking a minute. Out there flirting with jail bait like you ain't got no damn sense while I'm over here waiting for you?," I could hear her boyfriends angry words as I got closer. "What the fuck's the matter with you, El? You think I ain't got more important shit to do then wait on you to visit a fucking ghost? "

I noticed his cut, the grim reaper sewn in the back giving him away instantly. This dick was a Son.

"Show some respect, Cal. I don't think T & C would take so lightly to you talking shit about their family," she said softly as she reached for her helmet. He smacked it out of her hand and grabbed her chin, pulling her face so that there was maybe an inch between them.

"What's with all this disrespect?," he said, practically spitting at her. I slowed my steps, my hand falling instinctively to the 6 inch pocketknife I kept in my pocket, as I listened to their exchange. "Do I have to remind you what happens when you forget your place?" I heard her whisper "no," softly before he pushed her backward by the chin in disgust.

I walked up to them, stepping in between Ellie where she stood rubbing her chin, and in between the bastard who thought it was okay to put his hands on a woman. If there was one thing that Nero taught me growing up, it was that woman is something to be cherished and protected. A man is never, under any circumstances and for any reason, _ever_, to put his hands on a woman in a violent manner.

"What the fuck's your problem, man?," I said, glaring at him. Ellie looked between the two of us as Cal stepped off his bike.

"Mind your own business, Jail bait. Ain't got shit to do with you." I stepped forward, not letting his size or his demeanor intimate me. I might not have grown up in Charming, but I damn sure knew how to handle myself. I've beaten bigger with less motivation.

"I see a man your size hittin' on a woman _her_ size and I'd damn well say it's got everything to do with me," I countered. Ellie held her hands out, stopping either of us from taking another step toward each other.

"Tommy," she said to me, almost pleadingly. "It's not a good idea, okay? I'm fine." I let my gaze flick toward her briefly, even though I knew better. Cal knocked her out of the way easily, like batting away a fly.

I ducked down, just in time to miss a solid punch to my left cheek. I came up quickly, landing a blow under his chin, before bringing my knee up to catch him again as he came back down. He fell to the ground, groaning. I stood above him and brought my foot down, with just enough force and precision to knock him out effectively without doing any real damage. Although, I imagine the damage to that douche bags brain was done long before I got there.

I helped Ellie to her feet, and she looked down at Cal.

"Shit. You shouldn't have done that, Tommy."

"Don't worry about it," I responded, reaching down and picking up her helmet off the ground. I dusted it off quickly and handed it back to her. She took it gingerly, and I stepped beside her, resting my hand on her lower back and urging her toward my bike.

"Where are we going?," she asked as she climbed behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist.

"Take me to SAMCRO," I said, my head tilted to the side so that I could see most of her face. She sighed deeply.

"Do you like icecream?," she asked with a small, almost worried smile, before I started the bike and let Ellie Winston lead the way.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

TBC...

WHEW! I'm so happy to get that out. It's been festering in there for a few days, but I had life shit to do and just couldn't get the time. But I am soooooo happy that I finally got it out.

And holy shit, guys. The reviews? The follows and favorites? I'm on a high over here, ya'll. Thank you so much for the support. Keep it up. Keeps me motivated. I feel so bad for my other followers for other stories because I just can't get this one out of my brain.

Also… I don't know what the actual name of the cemetery in Charming is. And I don't know Jax's actual character birthday… or the death days.. So I just made some stuff up. The sons corner thing.. Purely imagination…. Hope you guys bought it.. Lol.. Thanks for reading guys.. I appreciate you!


	5. Chapter 5

"Wait here," Ellie said as she left me sitting in a virtually empty ice cream parlor and candy shop in downtown Charming. She disappeared behind a corner, and I could hear her boots clicking up a staircase that I couldn't see. My hands were shaking again, the nerves getting to me a little more each second she was gone.

I heard some rustling and turned in time to see an older, balding man come from out of what I assumed to be a storage area because he was holding a large Hershey box. The man's eyes found mine and his mouth hung open, the box in his hands crashing to the ground at his feet. I raised an eyebrow.

"There a problem?," I asked gruffly. The guy was looking at me as if he'd just seen a ghost, and didn't even have the gall to respond. My nerves, my previous unwelcome altercation with that Cal creep, and this one handed bastards serious gawking were all irritating the shit out of me.

I heard a clamor of boots on the stairs, my attention being brought back to the situation at hand.

A half a second later, Ellie turned the corner, followed by three older dudes in Sons adorned leather. They looked at me briefly in the same manner in which the first guy did, but luckily, they seemed to snap out of it much quicker.

"You shouldn't be here boyo. Ya should go back home to yer ma and pa.," the man who wore a Presidents patch said as he took a hesitant step toward me. His accent was thick, Irish or Scottish if I had to guess. Maybe even a mixture of both. His hair was longer, with strips of white highlights along the slicked back sides. A long scar adorned his cheek, and while his words had slight bite, his eyes seemed soft.

"We should hear him out," the man next to him with dark curly hair said. I looked toward his patch; Vice President. He had a soft smile on his face, and I wasn't sure whether he was going to cry or kiss me. It was obvious that these men had known my parents, knew the secrets I had wanted to uncover for most of my life. They never would've reacted to the sight of me in such a way otherwise.

"And what do you think?," I asked the third man; a bald, tall, tanned and muscled man who bore the Sgt. At Arms patch. He pursed his lips together and crossed his heavily tattooed arms over his vest, but didn't answer.

"I just want to talk," I said, directing my attention back to the President.

"See, Chibs. He just wants to talk," the curly haired one responded. He took a step forward, smiling, and held out a hand for me to shake. "I'm Tig," he said as we shook hands. "That's Chibs and that smiling beauty is Happy. I'm sure Nero told you all about us," he said, his smile beaming.

"He never said a word about any of you," I answered honestly, which caused Tig's smile to drop. "Who's that?," I asked, nodding my head to where the first guy still stood gawking. Tig followed my eye.

"That's just Chucky. Ignore him," he said softly, his feelings obviously hurt that I had not the slightest idea of who any of them were.

"Ya just wanna talk?," Chibs asked, running his hand over his face and pulling slightly on his short goatee. I could tell he was struggling with something internally. It took him a minute to find my eyes again, and I looked back unwavering. I held up my hands as if surrendering, and mustered up the acting ability to give him my best, mega-watt Jackson Teller smile.

"Just want to talk," I repeated. He sighed deeply and nodded toward the back corner.

"Well c'mon then," he said softly, causing the other members to turn and head back the way in which they came. I looked toward Ellie, where she sat tapping her nails on a small, circle table.

"Thanks," I muttered to her with a small smile, placing my hand on her shoulder. She nodded as I followed the men around the corner and up the stairs.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N: I have to apologize for the short chapter. I know it's such a tease, for me too. But with Christmas right around the corner, I have to do some life stuff… I promise you an update tomorrow, since the hub will be working a double and I won't have anyone here to look at me like I should be doing something more productive..lol.. So I hope you enjoyed the mini-chap and I promise to give you a nice, long chapter asap. Thank you all so much for the reviews, the favorites and the follows. Thanks for reading. I appreciate you guys. ;)


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I got a few looks from the older members as we entered an open room, but most of the younger guys continued what they were doing without a single glance in my direction. Happy walked over to a large black man who was eyeing me warily, and Chibs and Tig led me to another room off of the larger one.

In the center of the room was large wooden table, a grim reaper carved expertly in the center. I went to pull out a chair and sit, but Chibs turned back, clasping his hand on my shoulder.

"No way, kid. We'll sit over there," he said nodding toward a sectional couch in the back corner. I shrugged my shoulders and followed them toward the couch, not really giving a shit where we sat as long as I got the answers I came for.

"Why are ya here, Tommy?," Chibs asked. "Shouldn't ya be off following in yer ma's footsteps like yer brother?" I tilted my head slightly to the side, wondering what the hell he knew about me and my brother. "Don't look so surprised. Your father was my best friend. I've kept a tab on ya both throughout the years." Tig looked over, this information obviously new to him as well.

"Nero?," I asked, causing Chibs to nod.

"Well, that's great for you, isn't it," I said sarcastically. "My whole life he's been telling you everything about me, but whenever I asked him a question about my father or the club, I get half ass answers that add up to a bunch of bullshit."

"And you want the answers..," Tig said, not so much a question as a conclusion.

"Seems only fair, don't it?," I responded.

"What is it that you _do_ know, Tommy?," Chibs asked.

"Honestly, I don't know that much. Everything I know is all hearsay from the internet and old Charming newspaper articles that I dug up in a library. Which, really, isn't much information at all."

"Yeah, we have ways to keep our name out of the news," Tig said with a slight chuckle.

"I know that according to the internet, Sons of Anarchy is a motorcycle club that has allegedly dipped its toes into some not so legal business. But that is really, all I know definitively about your club. Like you said, Tig, somehow you manage to keep your name out of the news. I know that my mother was a doctor, and she was murdered in our kitchen. I know that my father killed himself by crashing head on into a semi as a collection of cops were trying to bring him in for unrelated murders. I know that Nero and Wendy rarely ever mentioned either of my parents, let alone told me the truths behind my past."

"It's not your past, Tommy," Chibs said softly. "It's your parents past. Your past is with Nero, Wendy and your brother. That's what you should be focused on. _That_ past and whatever your future brings, a future far away from Charming."

"I don't have a future anywhere unless I know about them and about their lives here. All of it." I said defiantly. This was beginning to sound like every conversation I've ever had with Nero and Wendy about my birth parents. A whole lot of bullshit.

"I don't have the answers for you. You need to go home," Chibs said, the words sounding somewhat somber as he spoke them.

"Wait a minute there, Chibs," Tig said, looking over at him. "Don't you think the boy deserves to know what kind of people his parent's were?"

"Tig, it's not the.." Tig cut him off.

"No. Are you really going to let the only thing he knows about Jax be that he killed himself and he was wanted for murder? This kid came here for our help. Would Jax really want us to just turn him away?"

"That's exactly what Jax would've wanted," Chibs said loudly. Tig raised an eyebrow at him and turned back to me.

"Would you excuse us for a minute, darlin'?," he said to me with a small smile. "We have a few things to discuss." I rolled my eyes and stood up, walking from the room as the two of them bickered like an old married couple behind me.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I was sitting at a table for close to an hour, trying and failing to avoid curious looks from the other club members, when I heard a clamoring up the stairs behind me, followed by Ellie's pleading voice.

"Cal, don't," she said as she followed him into the clubhouse, his eyes wild as he looked for, I was assuming, _me_. I pushed back from the table and stood to my feet, ready for whatever he was preparing to dish out.

"Lookin' for someone?," I said, smiling at him and holding my arms out in an 'I'm right here' kind of gesture. He turned toward me, walking briskly until his forehead bumped against mine.

"Think yer cute, boy?," he said. I pushed him back and smiled at him again.

"Actually, I think I'm damn sexy," I said sarcastically before he took a swing at me. I jumped back, just missing the hit. "You kind of suck at that," I said again, still smiling as he came at me again, trying to take me out at the middle. I raised my hands and pushed him down. A few members went to help Cal, but the big black man and Happy whispered something in their ears that made them step back and just watch the scene unfold.

The door to the room swung open, Chibs and Tig standing there, confused.

"What in the hell is goin' on out here?," Chibs asked angrily while Tig seemed to be more amused then anything else.

"That bastard caught me off guard at the cemetery, knocked me out and took off," Cal tried to explain.

"Wow. You're a liar, too?," I said with a laugh. "You can really pick em, sweetheart," I said to Ellie with a grin. "This piece of shit knocked the helmet out of her hands, grabbed her by the chin and then pushed her to the ground just to get close to me. Damn right I kicked his ass, and I was getting ready to do it again," I said, turning cold eyes back toward Cal.

"That true, El?," a tall, gruffy looking guy with a long brown beard and matching hair said as he stepped between a few sons to get closer to us. Ellie sighed and nodded slowly as Cal stood to his feet. Tig and Chibs stood crossing their arms over their vests, as if they knew what was coming next. I, however, was quite surprised when the guy walked up to Cal and laid a solid punch into his stomach, causing him to double over in pain.

"You ever lay a hand on my sister again and I swear to God, Calvin, I will end you," he said before he raised his foot and kicked him over. After a few seconds, the crowd broke up, everyone going back to their own business like this was something that happened often. The big guy walked over to Ellie and cupped her face in his hands, turning it from side to side to look for damage.

"I'm fine, Kenny," she replied softly, pulling her face out of his gentle grip.

"He ever do this shit before?," he asked gruffly. Ellie just looked down, which gave him all the answer he needed. He dropped her chin and walked back toward Cal, but Tig and Chibs blocked his path.

"Let it go, brotha," Chibs said softly.

"It won't happen again," Tig continued. Kenny threw up his hands, thoroughly pissed off, and stomped away in the other direction to cool down. Tig bent down behind him and helped Cal to his feet.

"What in the hell's the matter with you, Prospect? We don't hit women!," Tig said softly, before smacking him, hard, upside the head. Cal winced and Tig led him toward the couch, but not before delivering another smack. I laughed to myself. While he might've creeped me out earlier, I thought I might like this Tig guy. He definitely had some spunk.

"Here's the deal Tommy boy," Chibs said, turning my attention back toward him. "I'm gonna put you up for the week, tell you everything I deem worth telling. Then, you're gonna pack your bags and go home, and you're going to stay the hell away from Charming."

I couldn't help but wonder what had changed his mind. Tig must've convinced him to let me stay somehow, but the details of it really didn't matter to me.

"Deal," I said, reaching out to shake his hand. A week was all I needed.

"In the meantime," Tig began with a smile as he came back to us and threw his arm over my shoulder awkwardly, "It's been a long time since we've been blessed enough to have a Teller in our home, and that means only one thing."

"What's that?," I asked.

"Isn't it obvious, Tommy boy?," he asked with a huge grin on his face. "Tonight, we party!"

XXXXXXXXXXX

**A/N: Bad news, guys.. After today, the children have the next TWO WEEKS off of school. This means, I will update as much as possible, but with a full house, it's probably not going to be so easy. But I can promise that I will try my best. I will tell you that the more reviews I get, the more I think about the story and the more likely it will be for me to update quicker. SO REVIEW! ;) Thanks so much for the follows, favorites and reviews. I'm so happy that you are all enjoying the story, because I am really enjoying writing it. The next chapter will bring about a few more familiar faces, so stay tuned. I appreciate you all.**


	7. Chapter 7

"So where are we headed?," I asked Tig as everyone starts to file out of the club house.

"It's a nice night, Tommy. Thought we'd throw a party over at TM. Lock the gate and have a great time."

"What's TM?," I asked as I followed him down the stairs. Tig stops and pulls me out of the way so that the people following us could continue on.

"Didn't Nero tell you anything? Not even how he paid for that pretty little farm house you grew up in?" I rolled my eyes. I thought we had established this. No. Nero didn't tell me shit. "Teller-Morrow is an automotive repair shop in Charming. One of our many lucrative business ventures."

"Teller?," I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It was your grandparents place. And Clay's."

"Who's Clay?," I asked. Tig sighs deeply and mumbles to himself.

"This is going to be harder then I thought." He throws an arm around my shoulder and leads me to a small, circle table. Chibs comes down the stairs last, eyeing Tig and I suspiciously as we sit at the table. He doesn't say anything, however, and just tosses Tig the keys.

"Lock up when you're done here. Cal's gonna stay the night.," he said, barely even looking at me, before he flips the closed sign on the door and heads out to his bike. I turn my attention back to Tig.

"Alright, Goldilocks. Uncle Tig's gonna tell you a story, one of woe and destruction. You ready for that?" I nodded. Isn't that what I came here for? "A long, long time ago, in a place of big dreams and hot wheels, John Teller and Piney Winston had a plan…"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Almost two hours later, I followed Tig inside the lot of Teller-Morrow. The party seemed to already be in full swing. Bikers and women of all colors, sizes and ages littered the gravel. Drinking. Smoking. Pretty sure I even passed a couple having sex in the backseat of an old car.

Normally, this was my kind of party. But listening to Tigs story about my grandparents and the rise of SAMCRO….Ugh.. Let's just say I had other shit on my mind. I had listened to every word intently, and he left me hanging as soon as he got to my Grandfathers death. It was almost like a late night drama, left waiting for the next episode.

What did I learn, you find yourself asking? I learned that my Grandparents were ape shit crazy, and it's no wonder that my parents are 6 feet under.

"The club bought the place after your Dad died," an older, shorter Mexican man said as he walked up to me with a scrawny, tall white man.

"So I heard," I said, dropping my cigarette to the ground and crushing it under my boot.

"I'm Montez, and this is Ratboy," the Mexican said extending his hand to me. I shook it with a nod, and then offered my hand to other guy.

"Thomas," I said shortly.

"You look a little green, Tommy," Ratboy said. I chuckled. I bet I did.

"Here," he said, reaching out and handing me a joint. I smiled. Definitely wouldn't hurt. I accepted it, bringing it to my lips and drawing in a huge puff of smoke, letting it waft down my throat and burn into my lungs. I released the cloud, almost instantly feeling myself relax.

Xxxxx

Flashback: 3 years earlier.

I sat on the bed of Abels truck, the last of his boxes just recently loaded in. My brother and I were never super close, but it still sucked that he was leaving, and even though I would never admit it out loud, I was going to miss the shit out of him.

He sat next to me, lighting a joint and handing it over to me. Smoking together was one of the only things we actually _did_ together, so it was nice that this would also be how we said goodbye to each other.

"So, New York, huh?," I asked, handing it back to him. He nodded.

"New York," he responded. I could tell he was a little nervous. He was starting college a year late. After our brother, Lucius, died of a brain aneurism, Nero was understandably wrecked. He stuck around his first year after high school to help me around the farm. After awhile, Nero returned to his old self, so it was only fitting that Abel pick up his discarded plans, and go to college.

"Who's gonna get my weed for me now, man?," I asked sarcastically. He laughed and reached into his pocket, pulling out a quarter bag and tossing it in my lap.

"I get my shit from Kevin," he said with a laugh, finally revealing his source after countless unsuccessful badgering sessions. "He's gonna be expecting you, but that should hold you over for a few days." I nodded, shoving the bag in my pocket before Mom and Dad came out to say goodbye. A comfortable silence over took us, each of us drifting through our own thoughts and staring out at the rolling green hills that surrounded our quiet, country home.

"Leather. And wind," he said softly after a few minutes of quietly passing the joint back and forth.

"What?," I asked, not knowing even a little bit what the hell he was talking about. He turned to me, his expression serious.

"When we buried Lucius, Mom helped Dad back to the car and you and I stayed while they started to shovel the dirt over his casket. You looked to me and you asked me the most off the wall question." I smiled, remembering now.

"I asked you what our father smelled like." Abel smiled, his eyes taking on that faraway look that he got whenever he shared something with me about our father.

"He smelled like leather. And wind." Our eyes met, and he nodded, knowing how grateful I was for that little bit of information. Two seconds later, Nero and Wendy came from the house, walking toward the truck with their hands entwined in unity. Abel raised his eyebrow and crushed out the joint against the bed of the truck and shoved the roach in his pocket.

"There's my boy," Nero said, smiling proudly. If he smelled the weed in the air, he didn't say anything about it. Nero was good like that. "Getting ready to go to college. There's never been a more proud papa on the face of this earth…"

Xxxxxx

I'm half listening to Montez and Ratboy talk about a collection of pretty girls in the corner. They kept looking toward us as giggling.

"You got a fan club already, Tommy. Those crow-eaters look ready to rip you limb from limb."

"But I'm not even a part of SAMCRO," I said, uninterested.

"Doesn't matter. You're Jax's son. He was one for the ladies, your Dad. They loved the shit out of him, too."

Two of the girls walk up to us, swaying their scantily clad bodies seductively. Sure, they were cute, but they were also incredibly trashy. I liked women just like the next guy, I just liked my women to have a little more class.

"Hey. You're Tommy Teller, right?," the first one asked, twirling a piece of black hair in her fingers and looking up at me with chocolate eyes.

"I am."

"You are just a million different shades of tasty," the other girl said, running her fingers down the arm of my leather jacket.

Montez and Ratboy laughed to themselves and clapped me on the shoulder.

"We'll just leave you to it, Casanova," Ratboy said as they walked off in the other direction.

"What do you say…," the dark haired girl said as she pressed her large breasts against my chest "the three of us get out of here and have some fun." I look away from her, my eyes scanning the crowd for some kind of savior. There was no way I was going to stick my dick in either of these girls. God only knows where they have been.

I find the eyes of Kenny, who is watching us with laughing eyes, probably noting my discomfort. He says something to the group he's with and heads over to us.

"Hey girls. Take your tainted twats somewhere else, would ya?," he asked. I breathed a sigh of relief as the offended girls sauntered off in the other direction.

"Thanks," I said, accepting the beer he was handing to me.

"Don't mention it. Those crow-eaters are ruthless and all kinds of skanky." I laughed, popping the top off of the beer bottle and taking a large swig.

"I see that." We stand in awkward silence for a minute.

"I wanted to thank you, man," he said, turning toward me and breaking the lull. "For taking care of my sister earlier."

"I would've done it for anyone." He nodded.

"Tig made Cal skip the party," he said laughing. "Has him scrubbing the clubhouse top to bottom with a toothbrush." I chuckled. "In a bikini." I choked on my beer, laughter bubbling out of me. Kenny snickered with me. "He said he needed to feel what it felt like to be an unappreciated woman."

"He's something else," I said wiping my mouth with my sleeve.

"Tig?," he said laughing. "He definitely is. But he's a good dude." I nodded. I catch the sight of Ellie out of the corner of my eye. She walks over to us, her smile wide.

"You being nice to my new friend, Kenny?," she asked as she wraps her arms around Kennys waist. He raises an arm and lovingly pulls his sister in for a hug.

"Am I ever anything other then nice, El?" She rolls her eyes and turns her attention back toward me.

"How are you enjoying the party, Tommy?," she asked. I didn't want to be rude, but I really wasn't in the partying mood. It'd been a long day and if I'm being honest, I just wanted to curl up and start the day fresh tomorrow. So I just shrug nonchalantly. Someone calls Kenny over to them, and he kisses the top of his sisters head before sauntering off. Ellie looks me over, taking me in from head to toe.

"You want to get the hell out of here, don't you?," she asked with her hands on her hips, unnerving me because she read me so quickly. I sigh and nod. She smiles, taking my hand and leading me back toward my bike. "Well, you're in luck. I know just the place to go."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the nice, long(ish) chapter. My Christmas gift to yoU! MERRY CHRISTMAS! What was that? You want to give me something in return? Well, if you must… The only thing I want for X-Mas is REVIEWS! ;) Thanks for reading guys. I appreciate you.


	8. Chapter 8

"This your place?," I asked Ellie. Ellie smiled and pulled a key out of her purse before sliding off the back of my bike.

"It is now. But it used to be your grandma's place," she said, standing next to where I still half sat on the bike. "After your Dad died, Nero offered it to my mom at a ridiculously reduced price, fully furnished. Said that Jax would want us all to have a nice, safe place to call home."

I looked at the house with a new appreciation. If this was my Grandmothers home, it would stand to reason that this was the house my father grew up in. Ellie stood awkwardly, fiddling with her keys.

"So you wanna come in or are you just gonna stand out here and stare at the house all night?" I looked over at her, my face void of any expression. Ellie rolled her eyes and reached out, gently taking my hand and pulling me from my bike.

"C'mon, Goldilocks," she said with a slight chuckle, pulling me up the stone path and to the front of the house. She unlocked the door and walked inside, holding it open and waiting for me to follow.

I walk inside, and immediately notice that this house definitely didn't scream "Grandma". Not that I remembered what my Grandmothers house looked like from memory or anything, but everything looked way too new to have been hers. I don't know why, but the realization that it wasn't exactly the same seemed to put me at ease.

"So what did your mom do with all of Gemmas stuff?," I asked, still standing in the doorway. Ellie kicked her shoes off in the corner.

"Well, the furniture and stuff, we used until it fell apart and then we replaced it. The other stuff…Personal papers, photo albums, knick knacks.. stuff like that, Mom put in the crawl space. She used to say she was saving it all for Abel when he came back. But looks like you'll have to do," she said with a wink.

"Come on," she said when I didn't answer. "I'll get it all for you. We can have a slumber party, stay up late and go through old boxes, and just have a super time…," she said, clapping her hands together in over exaggerated excitement, in a voice mocking any teenage girl I'd ever met. I must've looked at her like she had lost her mind because she lost her smile, crossed her arms over her chest, and pushed her hip out to the side.

"You know, Tommy, you're really going to need to lighten up," she said with a thin grin. "If you don't have a sense of humor in Charming, then all you will find are nightmares."

"You sure your mom won't mind us going through it all?," I asked, following her down the hall, ignoring her completely inaccurate view on my sense of humor. I'm a damn funny guy. Two guys walk in to a bar…Ugh. Fuck it.

"Even if she did, I wouldn't know it," Ellie said softly as she reached a back hall closet. She opened the door, flicked on the lights, and pushed the coats that hung inside to the corner, revealing a small latch on the floor. She turned and looked back at me, a soft smile on her lips. "Lylas been dead for three years."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I replied, which earned a shrug from Ellie before she turned back to the task at hand.

"Don't be. We knew it was coming. Cancer," she explained as she lifted the latch and rested the wooden door against the wall. She threw her legs inside the hole and jumped down.

It was just a crawl space, so there was definitely no standing upright down there. She dropped to her knees and scooted over, allowing me room to enter.

"Well are you coming?," she asked, peeking her head out from under the floor boards and smiling at me. I smiled back slowly and hopped into the hole, hoping to find more then just old knick knacks and perfume bottles.

\Xxxxxxxxxs

An hour later, I sat side by side with Ellie at the dining room table, sorting through personal papers and items that had belonged to my Grandmother. There was a lot more down there then I thought there would be, and there was no way in hell we could go through it all that night. We grabbed six small boxes, most of them with personal papers and notebooks inside. After a brief discussion we both decided that it would be enough for the night. I had a week, that was plenty of time to go through all of it.

Most of it was nothing important, and I shoved it into a garbage bag. But, at the bottom of the second to last box lay a brown, leather bound book, fastened together with a small lock. I held it up and Elles eyes widened.

"A journal?," she questioned as I turned the book over in my hands, pulling on the locked leather tab.

"So it would appear," I said. "Look in the bottom of the box for a key." Elle stood up and emptied the box onto the table, little slips of paper covering the top of it as she rifled through.

"Nothing," she said before swooping all the papers back into the box. "Wait!," she said, jumping up and going over to the last small box that they haven't gone through yet. She dropped it on the table. "Now I know you said to only grab boxes with the personal papers, but I've always wanted to see what was in here, and my mom would never let me. This is Gemmas jewelry box, all neatly wrapped for ya. If there's a key, it's gotta be in here."

I opened the top of the box and reached inside, pulling out a medium sized, wooden jewelry box. I placed it on the table and watched Elles eyes light up with excitement. I looked at her and smiled.

She was beautiful, you know. And not in a 'I wanna rip your clothes off' kind of way, not that it wouldn't be amazing to count her hidden tattoos. But Ellie was beautiful in a way that made you want to _know_ her, before you ripped her clothes off. I slid the box over so that it was in front of her.

"You can do the honors," I said with a grin. She giggled and let her hands hover over the top of the box, before slowly lifting the top up. Just then, a large crash at the front door diverted both of our attention, and the top of the box fell back to its original resting place.

Ellie jumped to her feet and I followed, heading toward the front door. Kenny stood in the doorway, swaying slightly.

"Heeeeelllllloooooooooo," he said, drawing out the sound. "Am I interrrrrrupting someeeetttthhhiiinnggg?" I hid my laugh behind my hand. He was completely tanked.

"Damn it, Kenny," Ellie said disapprovingly. She walked up to him and threw his overly large arm around her shoulder. "C'mon, you big doof. Let's get you to bed." Kenny smiled drunkenly at his little sister and reached over, ruffling her hair. This action threw him completely off balance and he landed in a heap of drunken man on the floor. I rolled my eyes and found myself helping up. We waited until he was standing and then I let Ellie lead the way to his room.

"Hey Golllllllllllllllldilocks," Kenny said smiling down at me. Why the hell did everyone keep calling me that? "You missssed a hell of a parrrrrrty," he said as I tried not to crumble under the weight of him.

"I can see that," I said as we turned him into his room. Ellie and I walked him toward his bed and let go, allowing him to fall wherever he fell. Luckily, most of him landed on the bed.

We walked out of the room and Ellie closed the door behind us, and I could already hear Kenny snoring.

"Sorry about that," she said, looking up at me as we walked back toward the living room.

"No worries," I replied as we reached the dining room table again. Ellie gathered up the jewelry box and the journal and walked them into the living room. Since her hands were full, I grabbed us each a beer and followed. She settled against the back of the couch, her legs tucked underneath her and the jewelry box in her lap. I sat next to her and waited.

She lifted the top of the box, gently reaching out and touching the gold and silver that lay within it.

"Gemma was like Sons royalty. She always had the best of everything," she whispered. I moved closer to her, peaking inside the box.

"You should keep it all. Wear it." I said, causing her eyes to shoot toward mine.

"No way, Tommy. There's a lot of money in here. It's yours. Lyla was waiting to give it all to you boys. I couldn't possibly…"

"Ellie. Shut up and say thank you," I said, cutting her off and letting her know that it wasn't up for debate. What the hell would I do with rings and necklaces and bracelets. I wouldn't sell it. Wendy wouldn't wear it. And no one else would look at it the way Ellie was at that moment.

"Thank you," she said softly, our eyes holding and meeting probably a little longer then necessary. But she had real pretty eyes, pools of bright blue with speckles of green. "Let's find that key," she said, breaking the silence as she began to trifle through the top half of the jewelry box. She crinkled her nose and pulled out the one and only drawer. Her face lit up and she handed the key to me, shuffling closer to me on the couch.

"Try it! Try it!," she said excitedly as my hands fumbled with the incredibly small key. I laughed lightly at her excitement and inserted the key into the little gold lock. I turned and with a click, the leather strap opened.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Authors Note: Sorry for the late update. There was Christmas, and then my charger broke for my laptop. Which is where I write. And then I had to wait for my husband to splice it, and waiting for a husband to do anything usually takes forever. But he fixed it, for the 5th time, and now here I am. Hope you enjoyed the update… I had an outline for this chapter, and this totally wasn't it. Not at all. The story took on a mind of its own. So thoughts would be very appreciated. Thanks for reading guys. I appreciate you.


	9. Chapter 9

I sat reading words penned by none other then Gemma Teller-Morrow until early morning. The journal (which was actually a long, drawn out letter to her deceased husband) was full, 200 pages of memories that I immediately got lost in. I read aloud to Ellie, the first sentence instantly capturing me:

"_Jackson's all grown up now, John, struggling with his own inner demons as you had once done…" _

I flipped through the book and noticed that none of the entries held dates,. As I briefly scanned its contents, I quickly realized that it was a letter written through a large expanse of time, years. I knew that potentially this letter could hold all the answers I ever needed. The first entry ended with another stunning sentence, or paragraph really, words that I had to read twice before I could ingest them.

"_I won't let him make your mistakes, John. I won't let him become swayed with idealized and unrealistic expectations on what SOA really is. It's not and will never be a glorified hippie commune, profiting on taxable and legal dealings. It's a claim for power where it matters, outside of the Law and inside of the real world. It's anarchy for a reason. I won't let your ideas weaken him. I refuse to let him follow in your footsteps."_

I looked over toward Ellie, after reading the last paragraph for the third time, and noticed she had fallen asleep beside me, curled up with her head resting on her linked arms. I sighed and continued to read, some entries standing out more then others.

I'd be lying if I said some of the information I had learned didn't shock me. Gemma had clearly been someone who thrived on drama and chaos, but the hurt and the guilt she displayed through her writing were clear as well.

"_They stole something from me, John. Even now, I can see the white masks mocking me, telling me that it would happen again if I didn't tell Clay to end the clubs dealings with the minorities. I know I can trust Wayne. I always have. And Tara…I just hope she keeps that pretty little mouth of hers shut and sealed. If Jax or Clay were to find out, there's no telling what kind of trouble they would get themselves into. That's what they wanted from me. They wanted me to run and cry to them, but I refuse to let them win. Even though they are. They're winning because when Clay tries to touch me, all I can remember is their bodies over mine…"_:

"_He found your book, John. This is all your fault. He wants to become a Nomad? This is ridiculous. Nothing I say is changing his mind. I have no choice. I'm going to tell them I was raped, and hopefully it has the result that I need…"_

_"A daughter, John? Would've been nice to know before I walked in on our son with his tongue down his sisters throat. Perhaps we could've avoided the trip into the land of in breeders and Jerry Springer shows…"_

_"I wish Piney would just keep his trap shut. He's stirring up trouble and it's going to end up getting him killed. I tried to tell him that, but he doesn't hear me…"_

_"I know Clay killed him, John. I'm not stupid. I wish he would've listened to me. And now Tara has the letters. I'm trying to protect her, but she's not listening to me either. Let's just hope it doesn't end up with the same results…"_

_"Tara's trying to take away our boy, and now Wendy is trying to weasel her way back into our lives as well. Wendy is verifiably insane if she thinks I will let her junkie whore ass anywhere near my grandbaby. And I refuse to let Jax go…"_

_"Clay beat me. Badly. It's clear to me now that he has to die, but not only for this. He will die by the hand of the son. So, I told Jackson everything, all of it. Clay won't be able to hide behind his lies any longer…"_

_"He's staying, John. Staying and taking his place where he belongs, at the head of the table…"_

_"Clay's dead, and I hurt inside more then I thought I would…"_

_"Tara's saying I killed her baby, John. I may be a killer, but I would never hurt my family. Surely, Jax knows that. Seems that Nero is the only one on my side, the only one who believes in me. Who would've thought that I'd find true love in what was supposed to be a one night stand?…"_

_"She's going to ruin everything. More so then she has already. She's going to talk, John. She's going to rat and take everything away from us that we had worked so hard to accomplish. She's going to take away Jacksons children, our grandchildren. I have to stop her…"_

_"I didn't know, John. I didn't know what she was planning, and now it's too late. I fucked up royally this time. I did something I will always regret, never be able to take back. I killed my grandchildren's mother, and the guilt of it is over taking me. What am I supposed to do now? Juice took care of Roosevelt, which bought me some time. I have to fix this, I have to cover my tracks. He would never forgive me for this…"_

_"I said it was the Chinese. They believe me…"_

_"What have I done? All of this, all of this death, because of me and my lie. Anything that happens to me after this, I deserve it…"_

And then the last entry, written as a letter not to John, but to my brother and myself.

"_Abel and Thomas, I have no way of knowing whether or not you will ever get this letter. I'm sure by now I am long gone, of no fault but my own. My bags are packed and I'm scribbling this note quickly, so I hope it's not too messy for you to read. But I have to hurry. You're father knows what I have done, and now I know what he has to do._

_If you have learned anything through reading this unending letter to your Grandfather, I hope you've learned that every bad thing that has happened in your young lives, is my fault. My greed, my selfishness and my need to be in the center of everyone's lives is what has led us to this point. I've made so many mistakes, never fully thinking an action through before I acted on it. I've ruined lives, yours included, and for that I will forever be sorry._

_Your mother was a good woman. She loved you both with all that she was, and everything she did was to create a better life for the two of you. She was kind hearted, and she never deserved the death that I had bestowed upon her in my rage._

_Your father tried his best to create the lives for you that he believed you deserved. I can only hope that he is still with you, but if that's not the case, then know that he loved you both more then anything. The mistakes he made, the lives he has taken, I also hold on my own shoulders. I raised him to be an outlaw, with the hope that he could be feared and respected, all the while being a good man. And he was a good man, boys. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. He was just always a better outlaw._

_I loved you. I cherished you. I hope you've had a life far away from Charming, somewhere that death wasn't expected and sadness wasn't greeted as you would greet an old friend._

_Love,_

_Grandma._

The sun began to peak through the drapes on the windows. I read the letter for the twentieth time, and reached up, batting away the stubborn tears that forced themselves from my eyes and down my cheeks. I had the story now, or at least the gist of it. I'm sure there was plenty I still didn't know, but there were three things I knew for certain. My Grandmother killed my mother. My father killed my Grandmother. And Charming, California is a toxic place to be. These were the facts.

And while I knew this last fact, the fact that Charming was something that my parents never wanted for me, why did it feel like it was what _I_ wanted for me? The moment my bike crossed over the border and into Charming, California, I had the unrelenting feeling that I was finally home. What did that mean exactly? And what other facts had I yet to learn?

I looked down at Ellie. She was now sprawled out on the couch, having fallen to her side through the early morning and settling her feet in my lap. My eyes were burning, and my head was spinning, mulling over everything that I had learned about my family in the last twenty four hours.

Before I knew it, I had fallen into a restless sleep, dreaming of BBQ forks and leather, and a grandmother at the center of it all.

Xxxxxxx

_**A/N: So, what did you think? Be honest. Did it bore you to death? Or did you love the Gemma-centric chapter? I'll never know what you guys think if you don't let me know. Hope you're all still reading and being patient with my later then normal updates. Kids finally went back to school, and now we're out of school due to extreme weather. Hmph. In my day, we walked 20 miles to school, up hill, in nothing but our socks and underwear.. Lol.. Okay, so maybe that's exaggerating just a smidge, but whatever. I'll update asap, but much quicker if I get a ton of reviews.. ;) Thanks for reading guys! I appreciate you all.**_


	10. Chapter 10

"Think he's dead?," I heard Kennys rough voice asking someone from somewhere above me.

"He's not dead," Ellie whispered softly.

"He better not be dead. His Da would kill me." I opened my eyes at the thick accent, seeing Chibs standing over me as well. I was tired. Dog fucking tired. It had to have been early. At least it felt early. I know it damn sure felt like I had just fallen asleep. What in the hell were they doing gawking at me?

"Nothing better to do then watch me sleep?," I mumbled as I ran a hand over my face, my other hand automatically gripping the leather book that had settled on my chest.

"Whatcha got there, boyo?," Chibs asked, nodding toward the journal.

"What are you doin' here?," I asked, ignoring his question.

"Ya disappeared from the party last night. Promised your Da I'd keep an eye on ya." I sat up and nodded slightly. Of course he called Nero. Why didn't that surprise me? "You know you got yer ma worried sick," Chibs said as he sat on the couch next to me.

"I'm gonna go jump in the shower," Kenny said, probably noticing the awkwardness that seemed to surround the four of us.

"Yeah," Ellie continued. "And I'm…Gonna go…anywhere that's not here..," she said walking quickly out of the room.

"So you called Nero," I said, more of a declaration then a question. Chibs nodded.

"He wants you to give him a call," he said, handing me a phone charger. I reached out and took the charger from him.

"Thanks," I muttered.

"What's in the book?," he asked, looking at the journal again.

"Answers," I responded somberly, the previous mornings nightmares still fresh in my head.

"Did ya find what ya were looking for?," he asked me, which was the same question I had asked myself last night over and over again. I shrugged, letting the silence fall over us.

"I know enough about the things my parents _did_. I still know nothing about who they _were_." Chibs nodded and stood up as an idea appeared to come over him.

"Meet me at the clubhouse at 7," he ordered. "And call your parents." Then he walked out of the front door without another word.

Xxxxxx

I found Ellie standing in the kitchen, leaning over the counter with a cup of steaming coffee twirling in her hands, her gaze fixed out the window. I walked over to the coffee pot as she glanced my way. She reached up and grabbed a cup out of the cabinet and slid it across the counter toward me. I smiled a thanks and filled my cup as she continued to look out the window and into the backyard. I walked up beside her and copied her stance, looking out at what I was sure was once a beautiful back yard. Years of neglect had the rose bushes over grown and patches of dead grass covering most of the large yard.

"Never really had much time to get out there and get my hands dirty," she said before bringing the cup up to her lips.

"Wouldn't take too much to put it back on the right track," I said, blowing gently into the cup of dark brown heaven.

"I have the opposite of a green thumb," she said, looking over at me. "I have what you would call a black thumb. Every plant I touch, dies almost instantly. It's like a disease," she joked.

"You just never had the right teacher," I responded with a small smile. "I grew up on a farm, remember?" She shrugged, obviously not getting what I was trying to say. So I pressed on. "How about you let me crash on your couch for the next 6 days, and in turn I will fix your backyard up real nice." Kenny took that moment to enter into the kitchen.

"Oooo, sounds dirty…," he said wiggling his eye brows, obviously only catching the last part of what I said. I laughed as Ellie turned a pale shade of red.

"Tommy wants to know if he can crash here for the rest of the week," Ellie said to Kenny as he poured himself a cup of coffee. Kenny shrugged.

"He gonna be sharing your room, El?," he said, nudging her shoulder.

"Shut up, Jerk. He's going to be sleeping on the couch." Kenny reached up and over Ellies head into a cabinet, pulling out a pack of pop tarts.

"Stay as long as you need, Goldilocks," he said to me as he tore the silver packaging off of the pop tarts and bit into both pastries at once. "Meetin' the boys for some business. See ya guys later," he said before kissing the top of his sisters head and patting me on the back on his way out the door.

"Sorry about him," Ellie said as she leaned back against the counter.

"Don't be. I have a big brother, too, remember?" I sat at the small table and she came to sit across from me.

"Funny thing is, he's my little brother," she said with a laugh. "Only a year younger, but younger all the same." I looked over at her.

"How old are you?," I asked before I could stop myself. Wendy used to tell me that there were three things you never asked a woman: 1- How old are you? 2- How much do you weigh? 3- How many men have you let in your pants?

"Old enough to know better, but still too young to care," she said with a small smile. I let it go at that, knowing it probably wasn't wise to push it. What did it really matter anyway? She probably looked at me and saw another annoying little brother. I'd never have a chance with her, especially not if I only had another 6 days in Charming.

"I need to make a call," I said, holding up the charger. "Can I use your room?," I asked. Ellie nodded.

"Sure. After your done, you want to go get some breakfast? I'm sure your hungry and unless you want pop tarts, there's nothing here." I nodded, my stomach growling at even the idea of food, and headed off toward the room she pointed out last night as hers.

I sat on the side of her bed and plugged in the charger Chibs had provided me with. Then, I plugged in and turned on my phone. My text tone began to sound repeatedly, and by the time it was finished, I had 20 new texts in my folder.

Text one: Mom: Where are you? Thomas Padilla, you better get your ass home.

Text two: Mom: You're in so much trouble.

Text three: Dad: Call your mother.

And aside from a couple texts from some girl I had been briefly seeing, that was what the gist of all of the texts were. I sighed deeply and called my Mothers phone. It rang only once before she answered it.

"Thomas! Your father told me that Chibs called and you're in Charming. What the hell is wrong with you?," she demanded.

"Mom…"

"After all we've done for you, this is how you repay us? By running off to the house of the rising sun? Do you know how dangerous it is out there?"

"Mom…"

"Didn't we give you everything you needed here? Why do you feel like you need to run off and visit old ghosts? I thought that…"

"Damn it, Wendy! Shut up!," I screamed into the phone. She instantly stopped talking and I could hear her begin to cry.

"Mom, I'm sorry.." I started to apologize before Nero took the phone from her.

"What the hell is your problem?," he asked me. "How dare you speak to your mother that way?"

"She wouldn't listen to me, Pop," I tried to explain, already feeling like shit for making her cry.

"Well, I'm listening now, Niño. What the hell were you thinking Tommy?," he asked, his voice laced with disappointment.

"You guys wouldn't talk about them. You wouldn't tell me anything. I'm not like Abel, okay? I can't just forget they existed."

"Chibs said he gave you a week."

"Yeah."

"One week, Tommy."

"I know, Pop."

"Then you're coming home?"

"Yes." He was silent, and I could envision him twirling his goatee in his fingers, thinking.

"Okay. Okay. I'll talk to your mother. One week."

"Tell her I'm sorry, okay?," I asked.

"Yeah. Yeah. Okay. We love you, Tommy."

"Love you guys, too, Pop."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Ellie walked into the room a while later. I had sprawled out halfway on her bed, careful not to let my boots touch the sheets. She jumped on the bed beside me, laying on her side and looking down at where I lay with my head on one of her pillows.

"How'd it go?," she asked softly. I looked over at her, my expression blank.

"That good, huh?" she asked before twisting her body so that our heads shared the same pillow and our arms pressed against each others.

"I yelled at my mom. Told her to shut up. Called her Wendy. She started to cry," I said, repeating what happened, as my eyes followed the twirl of the ceiling fan.

"Ouch," she replied.

"They've never understood," I said softly. "If they would've told me about them, I wouldn't have had to come here," I said, turning my head to look at her. She felt my movement, and turned her head as well.

"I don't believe that," she said softly. "You're Jackson Tellers son. You would've found your way here regardless. It's in your blood." I felt her fingers next to mine, and I reached out, linking our hands together.

"Thanks, Ellie," I said as I gave her hand a gentle squeeze. She smiled and I felt my eyes drawn to her perfect mouth, wanting to thank her in a way that I could guarantee would please us both, but instead I quickly found her eyes before my thoughts were given away.

"For what?," she whispered.

"For lighting the way for me." She smiled again.

"I guess I should thank you, too," she said softly.

"For what?," I repeated her words to her.

"For letting me light the way." I smiled and brought my head up, kissing the top of her head. She lifted my arm and snuggled her way underneath it, resting her head on my chest. Instinctively, I pulled her closer, my arm now resting under her back, and my hand resting on her waist. Ellie sprawled her hand across my stomach, and I could feel my heart begin to pound quickly with her touch. With her head resting on my chest, there's no way she didn't notice the effect she had on me.

I could feel her smile against my chest, and I closed my eyes, letting the smell of her hair and the feel of her next to me lull me into a finally, restful, sleep.

Xxxxxxxx

A/N: I told you guys I'd update asap if I got a ton of reviews and guess what happened? I got 20 (PLUS a nice personal message) for one chapter! Which is fucking awesome! (fyi) And I would love to top that for this chapter…So, let me know what you think. Was it great? Did you love the little moment between Ellie and Tommy? Did Kenny make you laugh? How do I know what you thought if you don't tell me? So review! Thanks for reading guys. I appreciate you.


	11. Chapter 11

There was a banging on the front door, so loud that it made Ellie and I both jump up out of a dead sleep. The room was pitch black, and I watched the outline of Ellie trip over the rug as she stumbled through the door and into the hallway. I followed behind her cautiously, and stood behind her as she flipped on the living room light and opened the door. We had definitely slept longer then we should've. I peaked at the clock and noticed it was almost 8 pm.

Tig rushed in the house as soon as the door opened, followed by Happy. They looked disheveled, anxious, and later I would notice the blood splattered on their shoes.

"Hey man. Sorry I'm late," I said, thinking that maybe Chibs had sent them after me, pissed that I didn't show up at the clubhouse.

"This ain't about that," he said, dismissing me completely before he turned toward Ellie. "Something's happened, Sweetheart. We need your help." Ellie nodded, as if this was something that happened often. She slid on her boots quickly and reached into the front closet, pulling out a small, leather bag. I noticed the rush and grabbed my jacket off the back of the couch and shrugged it on.

"What's going on?," I asked as I followed Tig, Happy and Ellie out of the house. Tig and Happy ignored me, hopped on the back of their bikes and took off down the street. Ellie walked over to her car and unlocked it. I hopped in beside her and she threw her bag in my lap.

"What's going on?," I repeated, looking over at her. She started the car and pulled from the drive, following them quickly.

"Someone's hurt," she said as she blew a red light to keep up with Chibs and Happy.

"Why don't they take them to a hospital? What can you do about it?," I asked, still not quite understanding the situation. She looked over at me and rolled her eyes.

"I am their hospital," she said as she took a quick corner.

"I didn't know you were a doctor," I replied, somewhat sarcastically.

"I don't remember you asking," she said, her eyes darting toward me angrily, before turning her eyes back toward the road and biting her lip. "Besides, it _was_ my weekend off."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"Everyone needs to back up," Ellie said as we rushed up stairs and into the clubhouse. I walked up to the pool table, where they had two men sprawled out on a plastic tarp on top of it. Kenny and Ratboy.

"Oh, shit, Kenny," Ellie said as she rushed up to his side, while Ratboy writhed in pain next to him.

"I'm fine," Kenny said with a small smile. "Take care of Ratboy first." Ellie nodded and swiped at her eyes before taking a deep breath and going over toward where Chibs sat pressing a bloodied towel to Ratboys stomach.

"Single gunshot wound to the abdomen," Chibs said as Ellie looked toward him for specifics and put on a pair of gloves. "The bullet went straight through." Ellie nodded toward Chibs, and he pulled his hands away cautiously. I've seen enough Doctor shows in my day to know if the blood begins to squirt chaotically, then more then likely the bullet had hit something that it really shouldn't have. Luckily, I watched as Ellie took a sigh of relief and began to meticulously sew him up without the dramatics.

Chibs left Ellie to work on him, while he went to further inspect Kennys injury, which was a single shot to the leg. Ellie looked up toward Chibs.

"I have another suture set in the bag if you want to get started," she said to him. He didn't look too thrilled with the idea. I didn't know his history with medicine, but Ellie had just shown me not to make assumptions about anyone. But he reluctantly grabbed the bag and took out the necessary instruments.

They worked in silence, with the occasional cry of pain from either Kenny or Ratboy, while the rest of the club watched in worried anticipation, and I stood back wondering what the hell had happened.

Xxxxxxxxx

Authors note: Sorry the chapter's so short. I have to update another story of mine today, too. We'll find out what happens with Kenny and Ratboy next time, and we will also find out wtf happened _to_ them, and what Chibs had originally had planned for Tommy that night. This incident should incite a whole lot of drama, and maybe Tommy will learn more about SOA then he wanted to. But… who knows? Lol.. Maybe I'll start writing and something totally different will come out.. We will see.

Don't forget to review and let me know what you think. Did you think that Ellie was a doctor? Neither did I.. lol. I am so grateful for all the reviews thus far, as well as the follows and favorites. I appreciate you all so much. Thanks for reading.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Before we begin, I needed to explain something about this next chapter. It will be from Chibs POV. We need to find out exactly what happened, and seeing as Chibs wants to keep the club as far away from Tommy as possible, I doubt he's going to just go into a full length explanation of what happened. Through out this story, I might have to add a few different POV's to get the full story out to you all. But don't you worry… This story is Thomas based and the story will revolve around him. And so we begin:

CHIBS POV:

These last two days had gone to bloody hell. First the youngest Teller shows up, demanding to know about his parents, and the whole while I got Jax in my head telling me to get him as far away from Charming as possible. I thought perhaps he'd learned all he needed to when he told me about Gem's journal, but I guess that wasn't enough for him. So I had planned on gathering the people who knew his parents the best, having sort of an impromptu memorial service, so he can feel closer to his parents and move on.

But then, we get word from Alvarez that there's a new MC in town, and they're selling cocaine and molly to the high school kids, who are in turn selling and distributing to the wee ones.

For the past 17 years, SOA has led a pretty quiet life. We've done well keeping our boys alive, but this job doesn't come without its injury, without its risk. This wasn't the first time someone's been shot since Jackson died.

But since we no longer dealt in guns, the imminent death that awaited every member of our club dissipated greatly, and I was relieved for it. And while we might be considered boring on most days, there were days like today when we still had to get our hands dirty. I'd be damned if we let these kids overdose on the street because no one was willing to step up and put the fear of the Son in these new fucking bikers, this "Messengers MC", who think they can come into our town and turn shit upside down.

I called together a group of our best: Kenny, Ratboy, Happy, T.O, Tig and myself. We were meeting a small group of Mayans and Alvarez. It was supposed to be a quick, in and out, intimidation ordeal. It wasn't supposed to go down the way it had.

We walked into the warehouse where the Messengers were holding up shop, not expecting to see such a large operation happening right under our noses. There were tables, spread out, people in masks sorting and bagging drugs of all kinds. All eyes found us, a group of 12, and before we knew exactly what was happening, they all had guns pointed in our direction. This, obviously, resulted in us pulling our weapons as well. Never a good sign when we're already at a stand off before we had even spoken a word.

Four white men come out from an office to stand before us.

"Welcome, gentlemen," the President said with a large, crooked toothed smile.

"Sure don't feel very welcome," I replied, my gun pointing at him. He laughed.

"Necessary precautions. I'm sure you understand."

"Who the hell are you and what the hell are ya doin' in my town?," I demanded angrily. There was no way this was going to end well. I could feel it in my bones. Blood would be shed.

"Don't believe I've seen a name painted on this town, there Chief," a tall wiry man said as he took a step closer. His patch named him Vice President of their club.

"I'm Patton," the president said. "This is my Vice, Jugs, and Kingston and Kentucky," he said introducing them all to us.

"You're selling drugs to kids, you pieces of shit," Happy said, taking a step forward, his finger on the trigger and ready for battle. I could see him clenching his teeth together, ready for the excitement that accompanies a stand off such as this one. My boy Happy lived for this shit.

"Money knows no age, baldy," the biggest of the men, Kentucky, says as he stepped up to us. Happy walked up to the man, an eerie smile on his face. He chuckled back at me and I sighed deeply, knowing there would be no stopping this. Happy raised his hand before the bigger man could speak, and brought the butt of his gun down on his temple. The big man crumbled to the ground, and Patton held out an arm to stop Jugs from stepping up to us.

"Now that was uncalled for," Patton said. "I was hoping we could all be friends."

"We don't make friends with scumbags," Tig said, his gun aiming right at Pattons head.

"You're going to stop selling to those kids and get the hell out of Charming," I said evenly.

"Now see," Patton said, scratching his temple with his gun. "That's just not going to happen. Word has it, you Sons have gone soft. I don't fear the reaper, Gentleman. I mock it. You guys used to be Kings around here, but now you're nothing more then old, run down peasants. It's time for the Messengers to take control," he said holding his hands up.

I looked back at my boys, nodding to them that they get ready. These douche bags thought we had gone soft. We would show them that the word didn't even exist in our dictionary. I raised my gun, and pointed it the man directly behind Patton. And then I pulled the trigger.

Now, I was waiting for Ellie in the club house as I tried not to let Ratboy and Kenny bleed to death.

There had been a few times before when we needed her assistance, and we were grateful to her. I had forgotten all about Tommy until I watched him follow her in the building.

El stabilized Ratboy while I sewed up her brother. And now I had to explain to the rest of my men that we were now engaged in a turf War. I looked over at Tommy where he sat, a concerned look on his face as he watched the scene unfold.

How the hell was I going to get Tommy away from here and out of the cross fire? And should I? I've been battling myself about this since he showed up. I couldn't explain it, but it felt like a piece of me had come back with the immergence of Tommy. I missed my brother, and having his son around almost felt like Jackson had come home. Tig wants him to stay. Thinks we should try to patch him in. But he doesn't know what Jax said to me that night. He doesn't know that this was the last thing he wanted for his son. Now I'm stuck in the middle of the right thing, and the wrong thing, as per bloody fucking usual, and I have to figure out what comes next. Fuck me…

We sat at the table later that night, talking over the plan for getting these cock suckers back. We had taken out a few of their men during the battle, but they had let it be known that this wouldn't be the last of them. They were planning on holding their ground. And now we had to make sure that ground shook beneath them until it opened up and swallowed them whole.

"We could send someone in. Undercover," TO said. "Bring those bastards down from the inside out."

"Everyone we have is well known around here," I replied, the idea sounding good but improbable. We needed to find out their weaknesses, find a way to bring down their whole operation without getting any more of our men hurt.

"There's Tommy," Tig put in.

"No way," I replied quickly, even though I could see the looks on everyone else's faces that told me they thought it could be a good idea.

"Think about it, Chibs. He's a strong kid. He's young. He rides. They'd take him in instantly, thinking he's moldable," Tig continued. I shook my head.

"I'm not getting him involved in this. I won't have his blood on my hands."

"So we train him up," T.O comments. "Make sure he knows how to protect himself. He only needs to be in there a week or two."

"They're going to close down shop now at the warehouse. It's what I would do. And they're going to be more careful about their new location. We just need him to find out where it is, so we can bring them down." Tig said, trying to convince me of the ideas relevance.

"I don't like it. There's got to be another way. We can follow them. Find out that way." I replied.

"It's too risky. They have no problem firing a gun. We could easily lose men like that." TO continues.

"Let's take it to a vote," Tig announces, not giving me a chance to further discredit the idea. I felt my head spin as Jackson turned in his grave, and the deciding vote was cast.

A/N: So…I'm sure there was another way to settle the problem with this new MC. But I had to get Tommy involved in the club somehow. And I think this could be fun… But what do YOU think? Review and let me know… ;)


	13. Chapter 13

After Kenny and Ratboy were stabilized, I sat with Ellie at one of the round tables directly outside of their conference room. The full pledged members of the club had currently been holed up in there for close to an hour. I'm sure normally, after you witness two men bleeding out on a pool table, most people would be frightened, and run in the complete opposite direction. Guess I'm not so normal. All I felt was anger. The whole situation thoroughly pissed me off.

"Tommy?," El said loudly. I brought my eyes up from my the clenched hands in my lap. Apparently, she had been trying to get my attention for a few minutes, but I had been too lost in my own thoughts to hear her.

"Yeah?," I responded briskly.

"I've never seen that look on your face before. It's kind of scaring me." she said softly as she twirled one of Gemma's rings on her finger. I took a deep breath, willing myself to relax, or to at least appear as if I was relaxed. I looked over at the two wounded men, who had both luckily fallen asleep, thanks to the pain killers El had provided them with.

"You do this shit often?," I asked, my gaze not leaving them, as I mentally tried to figure out a way to get myself involved in what ever payback the club was planning. Sure, I barely knew these guys. But they had both been nice to me, and I knew I wouldn't be able to rest knowing that the bastards who shot them were still at large.

Wendy and Nero had always told me that I had developed my fathers temper and his need to protect. There was never a fight in which I had backed down from, and I never hesitated to stick up for those who couldn't, or wouldn't, stick up for themselves. In high school, I had been the opposite of a bully. I was the Bully's persecutor, taking it upon myself to protect those weaker then them and myself. While Kenny and Ratboy wouldn't normally fall in that category, once they were wounded, they inadvertently did.

"It's not the first time I've helped the club," El answered. "I'm sure it won't be the last. When I was a little girl," she began to explain. "I was so taken with the club. These men had always taken care of us. Even after my Dad died, they didn't forget us. I was hanging out here one afternoon after school, doing my science homework, when Gibs came up to me to see what I had been working on. It was science, my favorite subject, and we had just happened to be learning human anatomy. He looked over my shoulder, smiled, and said to me, 'Hey, Ellie girl. Keep up the good work. We could use a doctor in the family', before he ruffled my hair and went back to club business."

"So, you became a doctor for the club?," I asked incredulously.

"No," she answered, as if that was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard. "I became a doctor for my family."

The door opened behind us and Tig walked out toward us.

"Tommy," he called. "Can we see you for minute?," he asked. Ellie looked at me and smiled softly as I stood up and followed him into the room. He closed the door behind me, and then gestured for me to sit at the table. I looked over at Chibs, who sat with his arms crossed at the head of the table, refusing to make eye contact with me.

"What in the hell happened out there?," I asked them as I slowly sat down next to T.O.

"That's what he need to talk to you about," Tig replied, taking his seat next to Chibs.

Xxxxxxxxx

I agreed quickly to their plan. Was it the smartest idea to get involved in a situation which had previously ended with two men shot and a pile of dead drug dealers? No. Probably not. But no one ever said I was the smartest man in the world. Like most men, I let little things like anger, pride and righteousness stand in the way of rational decision making.

Chibs had barely spoken while Tig instructed me as to what it was they wanted me to do. Seeing as I'd only been in town for a short while, aside from Alvarez and the Mayans, no one knew I was here. No one but the Sons and Mayans knew that Jackson Tellers son had come home. I would be the perfect man to infiltrate the Messengers club, and assist the Sons in bringing them down.

Not only did I view this as an opportunity to defend Kenny and Ratboy, but I also viewed it as a potential _in _. If I could do this, and do it well, then maybe Chibs would agree to let me stay in Charming, maybe even patch in, if that was what I decided. At the moment, I wasn't sure what I wanted, but I knew I wanted the _option_.

I found Ellie in the corner, talking softly to Cal who unfortunately used my absence as an opportunity to get close to her again. I walked up to where they sat, and stood above them with my arms crossed over my chest.

"Get lost, kid," Cal grumbled before turning his attention back to the hand he had wound in Ellies hair affectionately. I didn't reply, nor did I move, just stood staring down at him, imagining ways that I could successfully rip his head from his shoulders without getting blood on my boots.

Ellie shifted uncomfortably, her body language clearly indicating that she didn't want him to touch her. I kicked her boot gently, getting her attention. She look up at me, and I smiled softly, which seemed to put her a little more at ease.

"You ready?," I asked gently. She nodded and went to stand up, but Cal reached out and grabbed her arm to keep her sitting.

"If I were you, I'd let her go," I said, taking another step toward him, my eyes never leaving his. He squinted at me angrily, but released his grip. I reached out toward her and she put her small hand in mine. I pulled her to her feet, but she stumbled slightly and fell into my chest. My arms encircled her waist instinctively, her hands finding my shoulders. I smiled at her softly, oblivious to the daggering stares from Cal, as I helped her regain her footing.

"Thanks," she whispered huskily, her voice sending a shiver down my spine. I nodded and pulled my arms away, but not before I grabbed her hand and began to lead the way toward the stairs.

"I almost forgot," she said before we turned down the dark stairway. "I have to go talk to Chibs real fast. Make sure he knows the right doses for the antibiotics and stuff. I'll be right back," she said before she jogged toward the conference room.

I ignored the feel of Cals eyes burning into my back before I walked over to the pool table, and the two men who lie there. Kenny had begun to squirm a little, and he probably needed some more pain killers.

Kenny opened his eyes and looked at me groggily.

"Hey there, Goldilocks," he said with a doped up, painful grin. "I got shot," he said in explanation to his current state. I chuckled lightly.

"I see that, Thor," I replied.

"Thor?," he asked with a confused and lopsided grin.

"Well, I figured if you're going to keep calling me Goldilocks, then maybe you could use a shitty nick name, too." He laughed loudly.

"I'll take Thor over Goldilocks any day, my friend," he replied. I nodded. I could tell he was fighting sleep, so I patted him on the shoulder reassuringly.

"Don't worry, Thor. You go ahead and get your rest. We're gonna take care of the bastards that shot you."

"We?," he questioned softly as Ellie began to slowly walk up to us.

"Seems I'm going to be doing some undercover work," I whispered quickly. "I'm sure Chibs and Tig will fill you in when you're feeling better." He closed his eyes again, but not before I watched him slowly nod in response.

Ellie reached my side, and bent down, kissing her brothers head softly.

"Get some sleep, Kenny," she whispered to him before turning back to me. "C'mon," she said softly, taking my hand. We were halfway toward the door, when Kennys loud voice caught our attention yet again.

"Goldilocks!," he called. El and I turned around, my eyes meeting with Kennys half-asleep gaze. He smiled softly before saying four words that made me finally sure that I belonged here, in Charming, California, with these people. "Welcome to the family."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N: So? What did you think? Were you disappointed that I didn't rehash the entire plan while Tommy was, finally, at the table with the boys? How'd you feel about the Thor nickname? I can't help but view Kenny in my minds eye and this massive, muscled, man with long hair and friendly, but determined, eyes. Thor seemed appropriate enough to me, but what did YOU think? I'll never know unless you review!

I also wanted to say a quick thank you to all you fans who regularly review, and thank you to those who have even just reviewed once. I appreciate your support, your follows and favs. I have a goal of getting on the first page of Sons fics, whether you search by reviews, follows or favorites. So, if you haven't followed or favorited this story yet, help a sista out and make my petty dreams come true. ;)


	14. Chapter 14

One Week Later. DAY 9, EVENING

So technically, I should've been gone two days ago. Nero made sure to let me know I had missed the deadline for my time in Charming by calling my phone continuously, even though I never answered. I shot him a quick text, telling him I was fine, and left it at that.

The last seven days flew by quickly, and in the morning, I would be searching out the Messengers and trying to join their club. I was part nervous, part excited, and fully committed.

I'd spent the last week holed up inside Ellie and Kennys house during the day, and training with the boys at night. Fortunately for them, I already knew how to wield a gun, not that I had ever shot anyone before or anything. Nero made sure both us boys took gun safety classes in high school, and we would often have target practice behind the barn as somewhat of a bonding experience. Wendy hated it, but Nero always said it was best that we know how to protect ourselves safely, with a full knowledge of how firearms worked.

Kenny came back the day after he got shot and hobbled around the house for a few days before he regained his freedom and was able to ride again. While he was around we spent a lot of time together, watching Jerry Springer re runs, smoking pot and pigging out on whatever we could get our hands on. Luckily, Ellie went shopping and there was more to eat then just pop tarts.

I had even managed to get him to come out back with me and work in the yard as I had promised El I would. There's nothing more amusing then a man Thor's size potting daffodils in an undersized lawn chair, with his massive bandaged leg propped up on the fire pit in front of him.

El worked at St. Thomas Hospital as an E.R physician, and disappointedly spent a lot of time working. We had developed a sort of routine with each other over the week. I'd hear her alarm sound from her room down the hall every morning at 5 am, and I would roll off of the couch and start a pot of coffee for her while she showered and got ready. I'd sit with her in the kitchen, we'd make small talk for a little while as she drank her coffee, and then she'd hurry off to work and I'd go back to sleep. Then, when I got up again, I would hang with Kenny or work in the yard. She'd get home around 6. One night she brought dinner home, but most nights I just made dinner. (Yes, I can cook. Just don't spread that shit around. I already got a hard enough time about it from Ken.)

Then, around 8 or so, I'd disappear with the boys, usually coming back pretty late. Sometimes El was up, but most of the time she wasn't.

While my relationship with Ellie remained platonic, there was definitely something brewing there. At least, I liked to think there was. Everything about the way we were together seemed right, easy, and now that I was staying in Charming for awhile, I couldn't help but wonder if maybe things between us would eventually shift toward a more romantic type of relationship.

I knew that I was, supposedly, too young for her. There was a definite age gap between us that most people would consider strange. But the thing about me is, I could give two shits what people think about us. I didn't care when it was my Senior year English teacher, and I didn't care now, when it was Dr. Ellie Winston. (Yes, I banged my Senior English teacher. Don't judge me.)

Luckily, throughout the week, I also learned more about who my parents were. The boys would randomly bring up old war stories involving Jax, or fondly recall a time Tara wasn't a complete bitch to them. Through the club, I picked up more and more pieces of the lives they lived here, and with each tale I felt the void in my heart fill.

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Lucy! I'm home!," I heard Ellie yell from the front door in possibly the worst Desi Arnaz impression I'd ever heard. "And before you ask, No. You can not be in the show!"

"I'm in the kitchen," I called to her, smiling to myself at her exuberance. A few seconds later she joined me, taking in a big over dramatic whiff of what I had been cooking. She walked toward the stove and lifted the lid off of the spaghetti sauce that I had left simmering to keep warm.

"Better be careful, Tommy," she said, smiling back at me as I finished up the dishes in the sink. "A girl could get used to this."

"And you haven't even tasted it yet," I commented as I wiped my hands on a towel. She smiled. "Should be ready," I said, handing her a plate. We made our plates in silence, and then sat across from each other.

"So where's my brother?," she asked before biting into a piece of garlic bread.

"Got a call from Chibs this morning. He hasn't been back since." She sighed, and I could see the brief flash of worry in her eyes, before she shrugged it off and smiled.

"This is really good," she said with a mouth full of noodles. "Actually, everything you cook is delicious. You could make a career out of it," she said smiling.

"Not quite sure what I want to do with the rest of my life, El, but spend every day in a hot and sweaty kitchen just isn't my idea of a good time."

"But you cook here almost every day," she said.

"Yeah, but I'm cooking for you, so it's different," I replied easily. I smiled when I noticed the blush creep into her cheeks. It was fucking adorable.

"So umm..," she stammered. "You training tonight?," she said, clearly trying to swerve the conversation into more comfortable matters. I told Ellie all about the clubs plan to train me and then submerse me into the Messengers MC, and I told her why. Should I have? Probably not. But over the last 9 days, her and Thor had become my best friends and I told them a lot of shit I probably shouldn't have.

"Tig said he'd be here in about an hour or so, about an hour or so ago," I replied. "I guess it's gonna be just him tonight. We're going to go over the plan one more time, and tomorrow I'm gonna seek them out and find my in."

"You sure you want to do this, Tommy?," she asked, her voice laced with concern. It was a question I had asked myself once or twice. This shit was dangerous, and I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't at least a little concerned for my safety. But safety be damned. Since I had come to Charming, I finally felt alive. Free. I wasn't planning on going anywhere. And since I wasn't planning on going anywhere, I felt it my civic duty to protect the town and the people who resided in it.

"It'll be fine," I responded gently. We finished our dinners, chatting comfortably about her day at work, the crazy patients who had come in. I nodded out the window as we washed the dinner dishes together, and showed her that I had finished the yard that day. She thanked me with a lingering hug that was interrupted by a knock at the front door. I released her, and left her standing at the window surveying my finished project.

We had both figured it would be Tig. What we did not figure, nor did anyone else, was the person who was actually standing on the other side of the wooden door, staring back at me with cold eyes and a judgment laced half-grin.

This could ruin everything. We had a plan, and _he_ was definitely not a part of it.

"Abel," I said, trying to contain my anger, as Ellie walked slowly into the room behind me. "What the hell are you doing here?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_**A/N: Dun Dun DUNNNNN… lol.. So yeah.. I time jumped a little. Hope that didn't bother you all. Did Abels arrival surprise you? Just so we're clear, it totally surprised me.. Lol.. The next few chapters should be more action packed. I'll update asap. In the meantime, don't forget to review! TBC..**_


	15. Chapter 15

"Abel," I said, trying to contain my anger, as Ellie walked slowly into the room behind me. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Abel rolled his eyes and walked inside the house without an invitation, dropping his overnight bag on the floor.

"I could ask you the same question, little brother," he replied, looking behind me at where El stood staring. He smiled at her, a smile much like mine, like our fathers, and walked up to her with his hand outstretched.

"Abel Padilla," he said, his eyes raking over her body appreciatively. Ellie smiled and reached out to take his hand. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it, causing El to look over at me with an amused half-grin.

"Ellie Winston," she said politely, her eyes never leaving my face.

Every movement he made only pissed me off more, and I'm sure she could see it. I reached out, cupping Abels shoulder, and turned him around to face me.

"What the hell are you doing here, Abel?," I repeated.

"You first," he replied, reaching out and poking my chest with his finger. "Mom and Dad called me two days ago and said they hadn't heard from you. Said you were supposed to be home already."

"It's none of your business," I replied.

"When Mom called me crying, worried your following in Jacksons footsteps, it _became _my business." I picked up his bag and shoved it into his chest.

"Get the hell out of here, Abel. My life is just that. It's _mine_. I don't need you or Wendy or Nero dictating what I do with it." A knock sounded on the door, indicating that Tig had finally arrived. Just fucking great. Ellie walked around where Abel and I stood glaring at each other. She opened the door and Tig walked in. Abel's eyes shot toward him, scrunching in distaste and recognition.

"Well, I'll be damned. If it isn't little Abel Teller," Tig said to Abel, smiling widely as he did the first time he saw me.

"Padilla," Abel practically spits, as if having the last name Teller was a curse. I felt my blood boiling inside me. The nerve of this shit head to look down on my family, on his family. Just who the hell did he think he was? Tig raised a confused brow, but let the comment go.

"You probably don't remember me, but we used to spend a lot of time together when you were a little tyke," Tig said, politely stepping forward and offering his hand for Abel to shake. Abel looked down at his hand in disgust, and made no effort to reach for it.

"I tried forgetting you for years, Tig," he commented. "Never took." I could see Tig grind his teeth together, and I knew that finally Abel was getting to him. Tig turned to me.

"You ready, Tommy?," he asked, deciding the best thing to do was just ignore my brothers presence all together. I nodded.

"Yeah," I replied, clapping Tig on the shoulder in a friendly manner, trying to make up for my asshole brothers rudeness. "My brother was just leaving." I turned Tig toward the door. "I'll meet you outside." Tig nodded, waved briefly at Ellie, and then disappeared outside the do

I slipped my boots on and shrugged on my leather vest. It was plain black for now, but I couldn't help but think it would look much better with a grim reaper sewn on the back.

"Where are you going?," Abel demanded, blocking my exit.

"It's none of your business. Get your shit, and get the hell out of here so I can go," I replied.

"I'm not going anywhere. Not unless you come with me. Mom and Dad want you home."

"It's not happening, man," I replied.

"Then you aren't going anywhere. Especially with that bastard, Tig! I've seen more blood on that mans shoes in the first five years of my life then I have ever seen since living in this shit hole town. I don't know what you've gotten yourself involved in, but it stops. Now!," he commanded. He had stepped up to me, during his little speech, trying to intimidate me the way he did when we were kids. The difference was, I wasn't a kid anymore. And it had taken everything in me not to lay him out right there. My hands were shaking. I was clearly on edge, as I tried to reel in my emotions before I did something I was sure to regret.

"Move," I ordered gruffly. But instead of stepping to the side, he crossed his arms over his chest defiantly. "MOVE!," I said again, and still got no response. I couldn't hold it in anymore. I pushed him back, hard, against the door. I could see the sudden movement and my strength shocked him. My hands were curled around the collar of his shirt. "I'm done being nice about it. Move or I'm going to have to move you," I said, my voice quiet but deathly serious. His hands tried to pry mine away, but they wouldn't budge. I felt a small hand on my shoulder, and turned my head, looking down into a pair of the prettiest blue eyes I'd ever seen.

Ellie was worried about me. I could see it on her face. I tightened my grip on Abel, my eyes on hers, and she shook her head slightly, telling me to let him go.

I was shaking, trying to reign in an anger at my brother that I had held on to for a long time. Anger because he refused to talk to me about my parents, anger because he was never really there for me in the way a big brother should've been. There was always a distance between us, always some kind of divide that we could never fill in. Even when we would smoke together, Abel was never someone I could consider my best friend, the way other kids viewed their big brothers, and it was no fault of my own. I tried. I always fucking tried and he always just pushed me away. I shook off the memories, and released my grip.

I dropped him, surprised that I had managed to lift him slightly off of the ground in my anger. I turned toward Ellie, my head drooping, embarrassed that I didn't control myself the way I would've liked. I didn't want her to see this side of me, the uncontrollable side, the part of me I tried to keep well hidden from the outside world. She smiled at me reassuringly, showing me that it didn't matter. She accepted all of me. El reached out, taking my face into her hands and stroking my cheek with her thumb. I took three deep breaths, trying to calm the angry hammering in my heart.

"Now, I get it," I heard Abel comment from behind us. "You stayed for the pussy," he said as if everything finally made sense. I bit the inside of my cheek and turned around to face him yet again. "I don't blame you, little brother. That's one hot piece of…" I swung, hard, and nailed Abel on the left side of his face. He crumbled to the ground in front of me, knocked out cold. Ellie gasped, and bent down, inspecting him silently.

"El, I'm sorry. He just…," El stood up and took my hands.

"It's okay, Tommy. It's okay. He'll be fine. Probably have a hell of a headache, but he'll be okay.," she soothed. "Go with Tig. I'll handle him."

"No, I'll go tell Tig I can't go. I'll stay here with you until he wakes up and then I'll get him out of here. Let me fix this," I said, part furious with my brother, and part ashamed that this was the way things had turned out.

She smiled sympathetically, her hands trailing up my arms and winding around my neck, her fingers playing with the back of my hair gently. I brought my hands to her waist, and rested my forehead against hers.

"Why is it that you're always sticking up for me, Tommy?," she asked sweetly, a small smile playing on her face. I pulled my head back, looking down into the angelic face of the woman I had spent the last 9 days with, an inexplicably had fallen for. I didn't have an answer for her. All I had were feelings. And I was never really good with expressing those openly. So, after a brief moment of hesitation, I _showed_ her why it mattered so much to me, as I brought my lips to hers gently.

The kiss itself wasn't over indulgent, just a brief meeting of lips that left us both yearning for more. I pulled away, looking at her to see if it meant as much to her as it did to me. Luckily, it appeared as if she was still lost in it. Her eyes were still closed, as if she was trying to memorize the feel of our mouths together. I smiled, kissed the tip of her nose and pulled her in for a hug. Tig honked the horn from his SUV, and I felt her jump a little in my arms.

"I'll go get rid of him," I said softly, pulling away from her. She shook her head and grabbed my hand.

"No. You go with Tig. Do what you have to do. I'll take care of Abel. Don't worry." I tilted my head to the side, trying to decipher whether or not that was really something I should do. I know that Abel would never hurt her physically, but when he woke up he was going to be thoroughly pissed off that I had bested him.

"No. I should stay, I should…"

"Thomas Teller," she said, perching her hands on her hips and using the name that had been stolen from me since infancy, "If you don't get your ass out to that car and go take care of business, I will never let you anywhere near these lips again." I smiled. At least she was thinking about the next time we would kiss.

"You sure?," I asked, already stepping around my brothers form in front of the door. She nodded.

"Wouldn't have said so if I wasn't." I nodded once, and stepped out of the door, closing it softly behind me.

Hopefully, with any luck, this wouldn't take long and I could be back before he came to. With any luck, he would wake up, realize this wasn't a fight he could win, go back to his Ivy league tower with his ego bruised but his dignity intact. He had tried. He had failed. Move on.

I hopped in beside Tig, and he turned to me.

"Your brothers a real dick," he said simply, and I couldn't help but laugh so hard that my sides hurt. When I finally reeled it in, her turned to me again with an amused grin on his face.

"It's not too late to back out, you know. You could go home with your brother, and forget all about this place," Tig said as he paused before pulling the car from the driveway. I looked back at the house, the light on in the window and a soft silhouette of Ellie glowing from inside.

"Not a chance," I replied, as we turned onto the street, and headed out to finish the last night of training: The last night before I would prove to the club that having me around was an asset, and not a disadvantage.

Xxxxxxxx

_**A/N: Sorry for the late and short update. Spoiler alert: The next chapter will be from Ellie's POV. I think it's time we see what's really going on in her head. There will also be more Abel. I'll try to update ASAP, but be patient with me. Don't forget to let me know how you liked it, or if you didn't. Thanks for reading, ya'll. I appreciate every review, every follow and every favorite. You guys are the bestestest!**_


	16. Chapter 16

_**((A/N:: Don't forget this chapter is from the lovely El's POV. With no further ado, ENJOY!))**_

Well, shit. I've been sitting on the couch for the last 5 minutes, listening to Abel snore on the ground in front of me. Tommy had left with Tig, just like I had told him to. But now I kind of wished that he would've stayed anyway.

The last nine days have seemed like something straight out of a movie, or a late night drama. This just wasn't my life. I worked, I hung out with Cal and the MC, and I went home. Then Tommy showed up, and everything changed so quickly it felt like a tornado was ripping through my life. But a good tornado. An amazing tornado, even.

I almost have no words that can describe the way I felt wrapping my arms around Tommy for the first time. He had just kicked Cal's ass, stood up for me, and then I crawled onto the back of his bike. I knew nothing about this kid, except for the fact that he was Jackson Tellers son. But I trusted him. Instantly. And that, for me, was almost unheard of. You find yourself asking, well about that creep Cal? How the hell could you end up with him?

Cal wasn't always such a douche bag. At least, he didn't always _seem_ like a douche bag. We started hanging out after the club called me in to stitch him up. He had gotten into an altercation with another MC, and his forehead has suffered for it. I fixed him, and he developed somewhat of an obsession with me.

I told myself a long time ago, that while the club was my family, I wouldn't involve myself romantically with anyone in it. But Cal was persistent. He chased me for months, always the gentleman, and stupid me: he caught me hook, line and sinker. It didn't get bad between us until he knew he had me in his clutches. Before Tommy showed up in Charming, I was in the process of trying to get myself away from him. Tommy just made it easier. I'd forever be grateful for that.

As far as Tommy and I go. Hell. I don't know what's happening. I don't even know if he's planning on staying in Charming. But I do know that he makes me smile more then any man ever has. He's smart, sweet and oh my DAMN that boy can kiss. I could still feel my heart pounding in my chest. Looking at my watch, I can see it's been at least 10 minutes since it happened. I sighed deeply, bringing the tips of my fingers to my lips in remembrance. He's unlike anyone I'd ever met before.

I've seen him with the club, and I've seen him with me, and I like to think that I get the pleasure of spending time with the real Tommy. The guy who cooks dinner and rebuilds a dying garden. The Tommy who gives me jewelry box full of Queen Gemma's jewels without batting an eye. The guy who gives my brother a stupid nickname that I can't help but use. The Tommy who wakes up when I do, just so he can make me a cup of coffee and talk to me before I head to the hospital. I get Thomas Padilla.

The club, however, get's a more serious, more reserved and a tougher version of Tommy. The Tommy who punches out a guy because he hits women. The Tommy who doesn't hesitate to join the chaos so that he can get revenge. The Tommy who will knock out his own brother so he can get to a MC that he doesn't even belong to yet. They get the guy whose eyes can go from light to dark at the drop of a dime. They get Thomas Teller. Does that make any sense?

Abel is starting to wake up now, and I bite my bottom lip nervously. I sincerely hope that I can handle this as well as I said I could. I look at him as he rolls over, noticing the similarity between the brothers. They both have Jax's mouth, which accounts for the radiating smile I saw when Abel introduced himself to me. Their hair is similar in color, but Tommy keeps his long, and Abel's is cut short. They both have Jacksons piercing blue eyes. They're both tall. But that's pretty much where the similarities stop. Abel isn't scrawny, by any means, but Tommy definitely has more definition to his arms. Broader shoulders. Tommy looks more like Jax. Abel looks more like Wendy. He's attractive, I guess. But he's no Tommy.

I watch Abel bring his hand up to the side of his head and let out a low moan. He looked up at me briefly and then lowered himself back to the ground.

"That dick," he mumbled. I smile.

"You were kind of asking for it," I remarked, grinning down at him. He peers over at me, and smiles slightly.

"Guess I was. But I damn sure didn't expect it. Tommy grew some balls down here, that's for damn sure." I shrugged.

"Or maybe you just never pissed him off enough before."

"Maybe," he replies, sitting up. I scoot over so that he can sit on the couch beside me.

"You might want to be gone before he gets back," I say softly. "He wasn't too happy when he left."

"I gather that," he says as he leans back against the cushions. "I'm sorry you had to witness that." I chuckle lightly.

"I've seen worse." He rolls his eyes, as if he just remembered where he was.

"I bet you have." His condescending tone pissed me off. He didn't know anything about me.

"What the hell's your problem?," I ask, crossing my arms against my chest. "What's so horrible about Charming and the people in it?" He looked at me like I had lost my mind.

"You can't be serious," he says obliviously.

"I am! Seriously. What's your deal?," I ask. He looks over me, his head still resting on the back of the couch, his eyes seeming heavy.

"You know what I think about when I think of Charming, California?," he says, his eyes in little slits. "I think of death. Blood. Murder. I was only 5 when I left here, but I remember hearing my Grandmother tell my baby brother that she killed Tara. I remember funerals. I remember a whole bunch of random men taking care of me while my parents were God knows where, doing God knows what with God knows who! I remember seeing the blood splatter on my fathers pristine white shoes. The knife always hanging from his hip. I remember him kissing me good bye the last day I saw him, and _knowing_ it would be the last time I saw him."

Alright. So maybe now I was a little lost for words. I couldn't imagine having the memories that Abel did. When I thought of the club, I always thought of protection. Family. He had totally different opinions and views on what the SOA were, are who they are now. So I said nothing, and let him talk.

"Tommy used to ask me all the time about Jackson. About our lives here. I'd ignore him at first and then I would just tell him I forgot. But the truth of it is, I never _wanted_ him to know. I never wanted to subject him to the same nightmares that I have had for the last 17 years. I didn't want this for him, and I damn sure never wanted to have to come back here myself."

"But you did," I manage to say softly.

"He's my brother. I have to get him out of here."

"He's a grown up. You have to let him be his own person."

"He's 18. That does not make him a grown up."

"He has to make his decisions for himself."

"You're not seeing this from a rational stand point. You just want Tommy here because you're in love with him. Which is weird by the way. You're what? At least 25?."

"Our relationship has nothing to do with this."

"Are you blind? It has everything to do with this. I've never seen him look at a girl the way he looked at you before. He'd probably follow you to Antarctica if you let him." I blushed.

"You should go," I said angrily, my voice raising each second. Abel had no idea who I was. Clearly, he didn't know his brother very well either. "He's not going to leave with you, and he's welcome to stay here as long as he likes."

Abel stood up and grabbed his bag off of the ground.

"I will go. But I'm not leaving Charming. Not until my brother comes with me. And if you cared about him at all, you would get him as far away from Charming as possible. And far away from the bullshit that accompanies the life inside the MC," he said, before opening the door and slamming it behind him.

I sat back on the couch, thinking about everything Abel had said. I did care about Tommy. So much so that I selfishly wanted him to stay right where he was. I might have only known him for 9 days, but it felt as if he had always been here. I couldn't imagine this house without him anymore.

I knew what he was doing with the boys was dangerous. It was the life inside the MC. But was it really a life that Tommy should lead? Should I encourage him or should I deter him? And if he left, what the hell would I do without him?

_**((AND SCENE::: lol.. How did you guys like it? What do you think should happen next? I love ideas! ;) I want to say thanks again for the follows, reviews and favorites. I appreciate every one who reads this story. You guys are the best. I'm so glad you're all enjoying reading this, as much as I'm enjoying writing it. Probably be a few days before the next update. Weekends and such. But I'll see you all Monday or Tuesday for sure! Have a great weekend and don't forget to REVIEW to let me know what you think! )**_


	17. Chapter 17

I "You know the plan, right, Tommy?," Tig asked me for the millionth time. Yes. I knew the damn plan. I'd gone over it a million times in my head, and I knew exactly what was probably going to happen, and I knew what would happen after. I knew my lines, my cues, and my marks. I just wished he would stop making me second guess them.

The plan was that I would make myself appear as a rival drug dealer, of no affiliation, just looking to make a buck. A new resident of Charming who was trying to keep off of the radar because I thought I was wanted in Texas for assault charges. My name was James Vanderbuilt and I was 23 years old. Tig and Chibs had ID's made for me and everything. I would wait on the street corner, in a location close to the school where we knew the Messengers sold to kids, and I would sell a bag of coke to Ratboys teenage son, Marcus.

This would, in turn, probably get my ass kicked. The boys made sure I knew that it was a distinct possibility that I would take a blow or two for selling on Messengers turf. But once the story came into play, they were also confident that Patton would take me under his wing and have me prospect for his club. I'd be the best fucking prospect those guys had ever seen. I would gain their trust, their friendship, and access to their secrets.

We hoped that the whole ordeal took no more then a month. Obviously, I wouldn't patch in before the allotted time, which saved me the horror of actually becoming part of a MC that specialized in selling drugs to kids. In that time, I couldn't be seen with any son affiliated person, and that meant Ellie and Kenny as well. That was going to be the worst part. Chibs and Tig provided me with a burner phone, so that I could keep in touch with them all, but I had to pack my bag and leave El's house until this shit was over.

She had looked like she was going to cry when we said goodbye to each other. We knew it was coming, although we hadn't talked about it. But before last night, we had only been friends. The kiss changed something between us, but we didn't talk about that either.

When I had come back last night, El was already sleeping on the couch. She looked so peaceful, I couldn't bring myself to wake her up. Instead, I gently picked her up and deposited her in her bed. She slept through the transfer, and I stood staring at her for at least five minutes, willing her to wake up to no avail. This morning, she found me in the living room, packing my bag.

"I wish you would've woken me up, Tommy," she said as she watched me shove the last of my crap into my bag.

"I'm sorry, El," I said as I slung the bag over my shoulder and looked up at her. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and her bottom lip was stuck out in an endearing pout.

"Shit, Ellie. Don't look at me like that," I said holding my arms open to her. She shuffled into my embrace, her arms still crossed over her chest defiantly, and I wrapped my arms around her. "It's only going to be a month or so. I'm going to call you all the time. You're going to be so sick of me that you'll be happy I'm hiding out with the bad guys." I felt her shake her head against my chest. I looked over her head at the wall clock. I was supposed to be meeting Tig within the next thirty minutes, but damn, I didn't want to let her go. I kissed the top of her head, and released her. "I gotta go, El." She nodded, knowing there would be no changing my mind.

I wanted to kiss her, but I didn't dare. It wouldn't have been fair to either of us. Just like the kiss the night before wasn't. We had both known this moment was coming.

"Hey," I said to her. "I talked to the boys about Cal. They're going to watch out for him. If anything happens, El, I want you to call me and I'll handle it. Don't let him get to you." She nodded her understanding.

"What are you going to do about Abel?," she asked. "What should I tell him if he comes back?" I shrugged.

"Tell him I left. Hopefully he'll get the hint and take off, too." She nodded. I reached for the door handle, and she grabbed my arm. I turned back to her and tried not to notice the tears in her eyes.

"You need to be careful, Tommy. Promise me you won't get yourself killed." I smiled softly, bringing my hand out to caress her soft cheek. She leaned into my hand and sighed deeply.

"I promise."

"Alright, kid," Tigs voice boomed from in front of me, shaking my from my memory. "You gotta go. Here's the gun you've been practicing with. You have your knife and the burner." I nodded and grabbed the gun, dropping it into my bag.

"This is your last chance to back out, boyo," Chibs said from the front seat. It was no secrets that he had hoped I would change my mind. Chibs and I still didn't have the best relationship. He made it clear daily that he didn't think this was a good idea and he wanted me to leave. Told me plenty of times that _none_ of my parents would approve. But I didn't give a shit what he thought. This was something I knew I had to do, and he had been out voted.

We had met up behind a burned down factory on the outskirts of town. The place was so discreet it was almost non existent. It was early morning, and we were betting on the fact that these creeps would be out selling to the kids before school. Marcus, who I had met once briefly, was instructed to be waiting for me on the corner of Maple and Pine, the intersection right before the high school.

"I'm not backing out, man," I said, climbing from the back seat of the black SUV. "I'll call you tonight." I closed the door and walked toward my bike, settling myself on the leather seat, putting on my helmet and taking a deep breath. Here we go…

Xxxxxx

Marcus was exactly where he was supposed to be. He stood on the corner, nervously walking back and forth. He was a tall kid, wiry like his Dad, dressed in faded Levis and a flannel button up, his glasses sliding down his nose every few seconds. I parked my bike down the street, and walked up to him.

"Hey kid," I said loudly so that the men loitering on the corner across from us could hear me. "I got the good shit if you're looking." I watched the mens reaction out of the corner of my eye. I could tell Marcus was nervous. He didn't know much about the plan, he just knew what role he had to play in it.

"Got the snow?," he asked, stepping up to me.

"Got the cash?," I asked as if this was something I did all the time. He walked up to me, and we very obviously exchanged goods. I patted him on the back and he walked toward the school. I knew good and well that Ratboy would be waiting as he got closer to take the drugs from him. I counted my money as Marcus walked off, and the men on the opposite corner stalked across the street toward me.

"What the fuck are you doing, man?," the largest man said. There were three of them. None of them wore cuts, but I knew these were the men I needed them to be.

"Ya'll want something?," I asked, like they were looking for their next score as well. "I'm out of snow, but I got a pill or two of X left."

"We need you to stop selling on our turf," one of the other men said.

"Shit man," I said, rubbing the back of my neck like I had no idea that I couldn't sell here. "I'm just trying to make a few extra bucks. I just got into Charming last night and I'm wiped. Shit I'm sellin' is just personal stash, bro. Wasn't trying to step on any toes."

"Well, you did," the smallest guys said, poking me in my chest.

"Gimme the money," the biggest guy said.

"Look, man. It's all I got."

"Gimme the money, or I'm going to have to take it from you, and then I won't be as nice."

"Can't we talk about this?," I asked, holding my hands up in surrender. The smallest guy rolled his eyes, as if the inconvenience of everything was too much. I watched as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a gun. Then, before I knew what was happening, all went black. My last thought was the promise I had made to Ellie, hoping amongst all hopes that I would be able to keep it.

_**A/N: **_

I am SOOOOO sorry about the delay. I spent all of last week cleaning my house. A little early, spring cleaning. And now, my husband has been put back on nights, so my days are shot. And I'm with the kids all night.. And today there's a cold weather advisory so schools been cancelled yet agaiN! But I couldn't wait another day to update you guys, so I wrote this short chapter with the noises of four children, two dogs and one old man ringing through my ears. Even tucked away in my bedroom it's noisy. So it's been really hard to carve out the time needed for writing a story such as this one.

I hope this chapter wasn't a disappointment. It's not my favorite chapter or anything. But now, we're going to get somewhere good. So please be patient.

I promise I will update asap. I have mentally mapped out the next two chapters at least. So that will help. Don't forget to review! I've been having withdrawals.. Lol.


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